This Left feels Right
by moonyNZ
Summary: Sequel to Bed of Roses. Sirius and Hermione settle down into family life before a new prophecy surfaces that threatens what they have started. SBHG HPGW RLNT..Pre HBP
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: hehe almost forgot about this…nope don't own Harry Potter…**

**Before you start reading, if you haven't already it might be a tiny weenie good idea to read Bed of Roses as this is its sequel and I don't really want to go into any unnecessary details….**

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**Prologue **

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_Born to the two of time stolen an infant of black and blue  
__Unknown, Dark or Light, a fresh mould to hew  
__Vigilance in the wind as the sky begins to once more darken  
__A new peril in the air should this infant be taken_


	2. Winters Warmth

**Disclaimer: I do not own or have any rights to Harry Potter.**

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**Chapter 1: Winters Warmth**

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Sirius sat at the end of his and Hermione's large four poster bed, his back resting on one of the large intricately carved posts as he rested his forearm on a bent knee, smiling as he took in his sleeping wife, the late November sun streaming through the windows giving her an angelic-like appearance.

His gaze shifted to the slight swelling of Hermione's stomach. Five months into her pregnancy and she was beginning to show, her robes now unable to hide the fact that she was with child. Reaching down for the camera Remus had given him for his birthday, Sirius took a quick photo to add to his growing collection of his bride. The sound of the shutter caused Hermione to stir, her eyes remaining closed as she stretched languidly in the morning sun. Sirius settled the camera down beside him and watched Hermione wake up, her eyelids fluttering open as she gazed at the empty pillow beside her before spotting Sirius' feet and meeting his grinning face.

"Good morning beautiful," Sirius said, moving quietly from his position to join Hermione at the head of the bed, giving her a soft kiss, his hand resting lightly on her belly.

"Mmmmm," Hermione replied smiling as she stretched again before settling comfortably under the warm covers. "I could stay here all day"

Sirius chuckled. "Be my guest. It is Saturday."

"Harry's coming today."

"I doubt we'll see him till later, he'll be spending the day with Ginny," Sirius replied as he stood and picked up the breakfast tray the house-elf had left for Hermione.

Hermione sat up and took a cup of tea from Sirius and smiled over the brim. "Unless he burnt the house down, then I think he'd avoid us as if his life depended on it."

Sirius grinned, Harry had been staying in the house that Sirius and Hermione had brought for the summer, he, along with Draco had been accepted into the Auror academy having sent their requests in before their NEWT's. Both declined the invitation, Draco deciding to work on restoring his Manor for a year before he started his training, and Harry opting for a year off just to stay out of the limelight.

He had been given a house from the Ministry but Harry, along with Sirius and Hermione, didn't like the drawback; the Ministry would know where he was. So Sirius and Hermione had suggested he stay in their place, bought through a private muggle sale so the wizarding community wouldn't know where they were.

A loud trumpet sounded through the castle breaking the peaceful silence that had settled in the room. Hermione turned to Sirius who wore a broad grin.

"First snow," he commented. "I just happened to inform some of the seventh years of the old Marauder tradition."

"Did you now…why aren't you going out there, you always did like a snowball fight."

Sirius smiled and tucked a loose curl of Hermione's behind her ear. "Lets see…snowball fight…sleeping in with my beautiful pregnant wife. Snowball fight. Beautiful pregnant wife…hard choice there," he murmured closing the small distance between them.

"I guess the snow can wait," Hermione whispered before she met Sirius' lips in a soft sensual kiss which was soon deepened by both parties, Sirius bringing both hands up to cup Hermione's face as he lay alongside her, being careful not to put too much weight on her stomach, which felt this moment would be a good time to interrupt the pair.

Sirius broke the kiss and gazed down at Hermione's bump.

This was new.

Hermione grinned and placed Sirius hand on the small mound, watching his awe-struck expression as he felt his child kick.

"Madame Pomfrey said she'll be more active now we're into the second trimester."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "She? I thought we'd decided we didn't want to know."

Hermione grinned. "I know, I just don't like referring to our child as an 'it'."

Sirius shifted his gaze back down to her stomach where his hand still lay. "Why not just call it 'the baby'?"

"Because it'll be a girl," Hermione stated confidently.

"You sure? I'm betting on a boy."

"You know, just because we are married doesn't mean you have to disagree with everything I say."

Sirius moved back up to Hermione's level and grinned at her. "There's no fun in that, and…" he said pointedly. "…I really think it'll be a boy."

"What makes you say that?" Hermione asked grinning back.

"Only a member of the male species would interrupt a moment like tha.t"

"Oh, and what kind of moment would that be?"

Sirius and moved in for another kiss. "Tease," he whispered as he claimed her lips, the couple uninterrupted by the outside world or their little world of their own.

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A soft knock at Dumbledore's door brought his attention away from his meeting with Snape on how the potion lessons were progressing since his return at the start of the school year.

"Come in," he called, resting his hands on his lap which was covered by a think woollen blanket to keep away the cold.

He watched Snape visibly scowl as Hermione entered the room, her black robes pulled around her, her cloak that Sirius had gifted her for Christmas in their seventh year wrapped warmly around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she apologized when she saw Snape sitting in the room. "I can come back later."

"Its ok my dear, come, sit," Dumbledore indicated to the chair next to Snape. "Severus and I were just discussing the progress of his classes since the beginning of the term."

Hermione smiled at the Potions Master. "I hope they are going well, as much as I miss teaching I don't think potions would be the best thing for me at the moment."

"I'm not sure if was the best thing for you before your condition," Snape sneered.

"Now Severus…" Dumbledore started with a small frown but Hermione was currently fixing Snape with a glare of her own.

"I'm_ pregnant_ Severus," Snape visibly winced at her use of his given name. "I do not have a condition, and the pass rate for potions last year was actually quite high so I think I did well enough for the students thank you very much," Hermione finished by rising and handing Dumbledore a roll of parchment, she had been assisting the Headmaster in running the school since his return and, not having reclaimed his previous strength, he was grateful for the help.

Hermione left the room and descended the stairs outside the office frustrated at Snapes attitude towards her. He still treated her like a student, an inferior, rather than that of his equal.

Footsteps behind her made Hermione turn around and she frowned as the permanently pale greasy haired wizard approached her.

"Do not think because you taught six months of Potions Miss Granger that you have the right to actually take credit for the results."

"I am not a student Professor Snape nor am I Miss Granger anymore, you should know that, you were at the wedding, and I would rather you didn't use that patronizing tone while talking to me," Hermione's chocolate brown eyes flashed in anger as she stared down the sickly wizard in front of her.

"For someone who botches a simple rescue mission _Mrs Black_ and in turn endangering my life significantly, I can assure you, I will use whatever tone I choose, you never have, nor will, have any respect from me."

Hermione stared at the back of Snapes retreating back, his dark robes billowing out as he disappeared around the corner. His cold attitude towards her was not only because of the so called 'know-it-all' status he had given her but because she had failed to save him that night in the cell.

Tears welled in Hermione's eyes, a mixture of hormones and reality, as she recalled Snapes behaviour towards her since his recovery. Hermione had beaten herself up over the failure of the rescue; she didn't blame Snape at all for his actions.

Wiping away her guilt ridden tears she headed off in the direction of Remus and Tonks' chambers to have lunch with the Auror as they planned Sirius' Christmas present. The blue-haired witch, much to Hermione's relief, didn't notice the drop in Hermione's recently elevated mood throughout the afternoon.

Later that night her husband did though.

Sirius tried to recall what Hermione's plans for the day had involved to find the cause of the subtle pain he could see in her eyes. She had her meeting with Dumbledore, which, Sirius concluded wouldn't have caused this pain he was seeing. He did recall however Remus mentioning a meeting Snape had had with Dumbledore also and wondered if the Potions Master had said anything to Hermione.

Sirius would have a word with Snape in the morning, for now he gazed down at Hermione bathed in the light of the waning moon as she drifted off to sleep.

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	3. Ghosts of Christmas Past

**Disclaimer: Nope, Nada, Nein….Not mine…hehe that rhymes….right…moving on...**

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**Chapter 2: Ghosts of Christmas Past**

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Hermione smiled as she watched Sirius hang the Christmas decorations in their living room, the couple having returned home to spend the holidays with Harry. She caught the familiar 'deck the halls' tune Sirius was humming and was swept back to when her and Lily had been woken up Christmas morning by a slightly James Potter-altered version of the song.

"What are you grinning wistfully at? You do realize you married the man."

Hermione turned to see Harry walk into the room, another box of decorations in his hands as he smiled at his friend.

"I was just remembering how your mum and I were woken up Christmas morning," Hermione answered with a smile.

Harry's green eyes lit up immediately with the mention of his mothers name and his smile widened. "Oh yeah? The Marauders didn't cover you in snow or anything?"

"Please, like we would do something as asinine as that," Sirius commented bending over to rifle through the box Harry had deposited at his feet pulling out a Santa hat and placing on his ebony head. "Your father just played alarm clock is all, I would also like to point out that the girls only came downstairs after _my_ Christmas carol rendition."

Hermione laughed. "James' version of Deck the Halls was what woke us from our peaceful morning slumber, it was the muffled thump after your insults that brought us down."

"Ahh," Sirius grinned grabbing a tinsel garland and looping it around Hermione pulling her closer. "I had two beautiful maidens sweep down to my rescue, you know if I'd known you'd felt that way then I would have made my move sooner."

"Christmas was James and Lily's day," Hermione commented quietly.

Sirius smiled sadly at Hermione and placed a small kiss on her nose. "I know."

A small cough brought Sirius and Hermione's attention back around to Harry.

Still in Sirius' embrace Hermione smiled at her friend. "Christmas day was when your parents got together, I believe Remus may have had something to do with a piece of conveniently placed mistletoe."

"My ears are burning, is that someone talking about me?"

Sirius grinned as Remus walked into the room. "Now Moony, why would you every think that?"

Hermione squirmed out of Sirius embrace to greet the werewolf. "We weren't expecting you till tomorrow," she commented giving him a hug.

"Tonks didn't want to spend Christmas Eve at Hogwarts," he said returning the hug and leaning down so he could whisper in her ear ."Tonks is putting it in the shed, make sure that husband of yours steers clear of it."

Hermione grinned and turned back to the others to find Sirius' grey eyes staring at the pair suspiciously. "You know you two are lucky it's Christmas, those kinds of whisperings can only mean one thing. Presents," Sirius finished this with a wide grin. "What 'cha get me?" Sirius asked Hermione as he followed her further into the living room.

"You can't wait till the morning?" Hermione asked lowering herself into the plush armchair next to the Christmas tree, at six months Sirius was preparing himself for the quick rushes to the bathroom and the back complaints that Madame Pomfrey had told him about when entering the third trimester.

"No."

Hermione rolled her eyes and lifted her feet onto the foot stool as Tonks walked into the room.

"Wotcher Hermione."

Hermione grinned at Tonks' appearance. "Love the hair Tonks," she commented eyeing up the green and red spikes.

"At least they aren't red and gold right Moony?" Sirius said, grinning and patting his friend on the back.

"I'd suggest stopping there Padfoot, unless you want to miss out on Christmas dinner tomorrow," Remus warned when he saw Harry begin to ask his Godfather questions that would surly embarrass the werewolf.

"Sorry mate," Sirius said to Harry. "I can't pass up on Christmas dinner, and believe me, when Remus threatens to take away my food he'll do it."

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Hermione was rudely woken the next morning when the warm duvet wrapped snuggly around her suddenly disappeared.

"_Siriuuuuuuss,_" Hermione moaned curling into a ball, which was a difficult task with her protruding mid-section, to try to save the warmth.

"UP. It's Christmas."

Hermione cracked open an eye and glared at the Animagus. "I can not wait till you get woken by your child."

Sirius ignored this remark and opened the curtains revealing a fresh landscape of white snow which, much to Hermione's disgust, intensified the light of the sun.

Sirius knelt down beside her and rested his chin on his crossed arms. "Please. Pretty Please," Sirius changed tactics and grinned at the disgruntled Hermione as she pulled the covers back over her. "I made breakfast."

Hermione's eyes warmed slightly as she tried to locate the warmth she had before being uncouthly woken. "What did you make?"

"Hmm, let's see, first I was just going to put cereal out, then I thought, nope this is Christmas, you can't have cereal for breakfast on Christmas…" Sirius paused when he noted Hermione's raised eyebrow and his smile grew. "So I made a beautiful Christmas breakfast, French Toast, Pancakes, fresh fruit, cream, chocolate sauce…"

Before Sirius had finished his list Hermione was out of the bed, pulling on a warm bath robe and slipping her feet into her large fluffy black slippers before exiting the room, Sirius grinned, he never thought he'd see the day when Hermione was tempted out of bed by food… _'Maybe I need to get her pregnant more often' _he thought as he followed his wife down the hall to salvage himself some breakfast.

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Hermione lounged comfortably in the living room as Harry and Tonks cleaned up breakfast. Being pregnant had more perks than Hermione had initially thought.

"Oh yes, just lounge about while everyone else does all the work."

Hermione opened her eyes to see Sirius grinning down at her. "I have an excuse _and_ I was rudely woken by a mangy mutt."

"Hey!" Sirius said, affronted. "I am not mangy."

Hermione just smiled up at him.

"Is there room for two?" Sirius asked sitting on the arm of the one-seater.

"I'm already taking up enough space for two," Hermione pointed out as she rested her hands on her stomach.

Sirius grinned and pulled Hermione to her feet before taking her seat and pulling her back down onto his lap.

"There," Sirius stated. "Now there are three."

Hermione raised an eyebrow and smirked Malfoy-like. "I'd like to see how long you'll last before you lose all feeling from the waist down."

"I don't care," Sirius said, sending Hermione a soft smile. "I just wanted to share," he reached up and cupped Hermione's face and pulled her down to meet his lips. "Merry Christmas," he murmured.

"Merry Christmas Bugs," Hermione returned as she met his lips again before the sound of a camera snapping brought the couples attention to the three people who had wandered into the room.

"Way to interrupt the moment Remus," Sirius commented, sending a mock-glare in the direction of his fellow Marauder.

"You didn't expect us to stay in the kitchen all day did you?" Remus shot back, amber eyes filled with amusement as he seated himself on the long couch opposite Sirius and Hermione.

"Sure I did, you always did make a delicious turkey." Sirius grey eyes sparkled as he thought of the scrumptious Christmas bird.

"Cook honey, you don't make turkey," Hermione pointed out as she patted him on the top of the head.

Harry stood from his position from under the tree holding a large bag filled with gifts. "I'm going over to the Weasley's for the morning; I'll be back later with Ginny."

Sirius nodded shifting to try and find a more comfortable position on the chair. Hermione looked down at him and grinned. "You ok Bugs? Look a little uncomfortable there."

"I'm fine," Sirius replied nonchalantly, trying unsuccessfully to sound convincing.

Hermione shrugged and turned to Remus and Tonks, waiting to see how long Sirius would last with the additional weight on his lap.

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Later that evening a knock at the door interrupted the laughter of the house as Harry and Ginny listened to stories of the Marauders.

"Who's that?" Harry asked curiously. "You didn't invite Snape did you?"

Sirius sent a warning glare in Harry's direction, he had, for Hermione's sake, asked the others not to mention the Potions professor today, Hermione still hadn't told him what was bothering her but he always caught the flash of guilt pass her brown eyes whenever his name was mentioned

Without answering Harry, Hermione stood from Sirius lap where she had stubbornly remained most of the day to answer the door.

Sirius relief was evident on his face and he stretched his long legs out in front of him.

"You two are as stubborn as each other Padfoot."

Sirius winced as he stood and the blood flowed back to his legs. "I didn't want to insult her."

Tonks and Remus exchanged a significant look and Sirius frowned. "What? I didn't."

"Malfoy?" Harry asked in disbelief as Draco walked into the room carrying a single parcel. Hermione followed him and sat on one of the other long couches, Harry and Ginny having settled on the single seater as soon as Sirius had vacated it.

Hermione sent her friend a warning look as Draco sunk into one of the other chairs. "I invited him, and I think we are all past calling each other by our lasts names, at least for today."

Draco looked around the room his gaze resting momentarily on Tonks, confusion passing his grey eyes. 

"Oh," Tonks said standing up, her spiked hair having caught the blondes attention. "Tonks," she greeted holding out a hand. "Surprised you didn't notice the family resemblance," she said with a grin.

Draco took Tonks hand the confusion still evident in his eyes.

"Here, this'll help," Tonks changed her hair to long flowing blonde locks. "Or maybe this," she said switching to her natural appearance.

"You're a Black," Draco guessed.

"I'm a Tonks."

Remus and Sirius muffled their laughter at that comment and Sirius cleared his throat.

"She's Andromeda's daughter Draco."

A look of realization flashed across the young Malfoys face as Tonks returned to her seat beside Remus, the werewolf immediately raising a hand to her silky black locks and idly twirled them in his fingers, a task he could not accomplish with the rock hard spikes Tonks had picked out in the morning.

"So," Sirius said speaking up in the descending silence. "Presents first or food?"

Hermione and Remus exchanged a look. "Well, it's safe to say you won't be making that decision anytime soon Padfoot," Remus said, smiling at his friend.

"Well Molly insisted we eat while we were at the burrow so I could go for gifts first," Harry said offering a solution while ignoring Sirius' affronted protest.

"Presents it is then," Sirius said grinning jumping up and striding out of the room leaving the others to look at each other in confusion.

"Am I the only one worried that there is something wrong with that man?" Ginny commented from her position on Harry's lap.

Before anyone could respond Sirius returned with his Santa hat firmly in place.

"Right," Sirius said seating himself back down next to Hermione. "Who's going first?"

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Hermione smiled contently as she rocked backwards and forwards in Lily's old rocking chair that Sirius had found and restored for her. She, as well as Sirius, was surrounded by baby books, baby clothes, baby accessories, baby everything. Now all they needed was the baby.

"Harry," Hermione called from her seat. "Can you pass me that one?" she pointed to one of the remaining boxes under the tree and her friend bent down to pick it up and pass it to her.

Hermione pulled herself out of her new chair and wandered over to Sirius who was talking to Draco, Remus and Tonks' gaze following her, knowing exactly what was in the box.

Hermione smiled at Draco before siding in next to her husband. "Merry Christmas," she whispered handing him the small box. Sirius looked curiously at it and shook the box which rattled in his hands.

Sirius put down his drink and pulled at the ribbon till it unfurled and fell to the floor. Sending a quick glance at Hermione Sirius lifted the top of the box.

"Keys?" He asked. "KEYS!" he shouted, sweeping Hermione into a hug.

"Put me down," Hermione laughed taking Sirius hand and leading him outside the others following behind. Pulling on her cloak Hermione opened the front door and led the group out into a landscape of soft pinks and peaches as the setting sun cast colours over the snow-covered landscape.

Beside her Sirius bounced excitedly on his feet as they neared the small shed in the yard. Hermione unlocked it with a simple charm and led Sirius inside as the others waited. A loud whoop could be heard followed by a shriek and laughter as they heard Hermione tell Sirius to put her down again.

Moments they heard an engine turn and a grinning Sirius eased the bike out of the shed and stopped in front of the group, Hermione following smiling while shaking her head at her husband.

"Harley Davidson, 1979 FLH Sportster," Sirius prattled off grinning from ear to ear as the sleek black and chrome bike came to a stop.

"Nice," Draco commented, before turning to Hermione. "How did you afford…wait…where on earth did you find one?"

Hermione smiled as Ginny hopped on behind Sirius for a ride. "I have my ways."

Harry handed the fiery redhead a helmet insisting that if she go anywhere with Sirius grinning like that she was wearing one.

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www. planete-biker .com /images /histoire /78flh.jpg (minus the spaces)


	4. Back to bite him in the

**Disclaimer: Not mine…:sigh: **

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**Chapter 3: Back to bite him in the...**

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Snape strode briskly through the corridors in the dungeons, the dripping of water sending his mind reeling back to his captivity. Suppressing a shudder he continued on his way, his footfalls echoing off the silent corridor, most of the students being in their common rooms on the dreary late January afternoon.

Opening the door to his private office Snape did a double take when he noticed Black and Lupin standing in front of his desk.

Sirius set Snape with a hard glare and the Potions Master returned the gesture.

"May I ask what you are doing in my _private_ quarters Black?" He sneered as he neared the pair.

Sirius smirked. "You can ask, I'm not going to answer though."

Snape frowned. "Why do you plague me with your presence then?"

"Because I'm going to show you instead."

Snape cocked his greasy head. "Show me what?" His hand was in his robes clasping his wand incase of an attack.

"Don't worry Severus," Remus said placidly. "We are not here to duel."

"Again; why are you here?" Snape was getting impatient now, he was too old for Blacks little games.

"Hermione," Sirius stated simple.

Snape rolled his eyes. "I should have known, what does she need? A potion? Directions to the door perhaps?"

Sirius growled low in the back of his throat. "Why do you treat her like this Snape? What has she ever done to you?"

"You weren't left to rot in a prison cell were you…oh wait…yes you were," Snape smirked at the black haired wizard in front of him.

Sirius ignored the jab and stepped aside revealing a pensive sitting on Snapes large desk.

"I thought that was the case," he stated, as Snape stared curiously at the large basin-like caldron. "Why blame Hermione though? Why not Remus or I? We were both there," as he spoke he extracted silvery memories from his head and let the pool in the pensive.

"The little know-it-all needs to be taken down a peg or two…"

Before Snape could finish Sirius had his collar bunched in his fists as he lifted the sickly man off the floor. "You selfish bastard, do you know what Hermione put herself through when we couldn't get to you!"

Snape scoffed despite his current position. "I'm sure she did, just like she couldn't wait to jump at the chance of taking my job."

Sirius growled and tightened his fists, but Remus placed a gently hand on his arm urging him to lower the sullen man to the floor.

Snape straightened his robes and glared at the other two wizards, anger seething through his veins. "Now that you have entered my private chambers and proceeded to assault me I would like you to leave."

Snape almost took an involuntary step backwards when he saw the look in Sirius' eyes.

"Oh, we're not going anywhere. Right Moony?"

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Snape stared apprehensively down at the pensive.

"What makes you think I'm going to go ahead with this Black?"

Sirius grinned, a grin that, though he would never admit, shook Snape to the core.

"I can make your life miserable _Severus,_ you know that, if you give us this small moment of your oh so interesting time then I'll leave you alone."

Snape pondered this for a moment before nodding.

"I'll be coming with you; Remus will pull us out when we're done, alright?"

Without waiting for Snape to answer, Sirius pulled them both down into the swirling silver mist of Sirius' memories.

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Snapes vision cleared and to his horror he gazed around at the long dark stone corridors.

Beside him Sirius gestured with his head to three dark clad figures making their way down the stone stairs.

A piercing scream through the stillness brought back a flood of unwanted memories to Snape and he could feel his anger towards his colleague begin to rise.

"_Somehow I don't think we are alone" _

Snape turned to smirk at the Sirius he was with. "Really, what made you think that?"

"Shut up _Snivellus,_ come on."

The group that had paused half way down the stairs began to move again and Sirius and Snape followed.

"I don't see why you brought me here," Snape started. "If anything you're just going to prove my point on how much of a failure your wife really is."

Sirius controlled his anger as they neared Snapes cell, he heard the audible gasp of his companion as he looked down at his naked and bloody self.

"_Alohormora," _they heard Hermione cry out.

"Stupid witch; did she really think they would put a simple locking charm on the door?"

Again Sirius ignored Snapes nasty comment, he was trying to make a point and any minute now he would get it through.

Snape watched as Hermione lay down on the floor and attempted to reach his prone form, a small frown line appearing between his eyes as he silently took in the scene.

"She's trying to get you close enough to Portkey you back to Hogwarts," Sirius murmured from beside him.

Suddenly a deafening bell began to ring.

'_They're onto us; you best hurry with that Moony mate."_

Snape watched Sirius raise his wand and send stunners down the corridor as Hermione cried out in frustration at not being able to reach the wizard on the other side of the bars.

"_REMUS, GET THE PORTKEY READY, I'LL TRY TO HOLD THEM OFF"_

The observers watched as a loud explosion sent rubble into the air and Snape noted the painful cry of Hermione as she was hit by the debris before Sirius covered her with his own body.

"_We need that portkey Remus!"_

"_I'm getting there."_

"_Sirius help me!"_

Snape watched in awe as his childhood foe got onto his own stomach and tried to reach him through a large pool of blood.

"_GOT IT"_

"_NO!"_

"_HERMIONE WE HAVE TO GO, YOU CANT DO ANYMORE, IT'S TOO LATE."_

Snape blinked as the scene changed, confused as to why Sirius was showing Hermione in the hospital wing.

"This is a few hours afterwards, thought you'd like to know how much Hermione risked trying to save your neck."

"_In a moment but I have some news for the both of you, I suggest Sirius, that you sit down."_

If Snape had been paying any attention to his neighbour he would have seen the anguish in Sirius' eyes at having to re-live this particular memory.

"_Were you aware, my dear, that you were two weeks pregnant?"_

Snape shot Sirius a look as the news sunk in for the couple on the bed.

"_I sincerely hope that what you mean by 'was two weeks pregnant' is that we are now three weeks pregnant?"_

"_I'm sorry…"_

Snape looked on, his face hiding his emotions as Hermione let out a loud sob and clung to Sirius' robes.

The scene once again faded and Snape found himself in Sirius and Hermione's chambers, Hermione was on the couch, Crookshanks on her lap as she stared blankly at the small table in front of her. Snape watched Sirius walk into the scene and sit down beside her and hand her a cup of tea.

"_Here you go love, this will help."_

"_We left his Sirius."_

"_We didn't know."_

"_We shouldn't have just left him."_

"_I know"_

Snape watched as Sirius tenderly stroked Hermione's curls.

"_But we had no choice"_

"_There's always a choice"_

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Snape stood and stared at the two men in his office, Remus having just pulled him and Sirius out of the pensive.

Sirius was the first to speak as he headed for the door, the old memories affecting him more than he thought possible.

"Hermione tried her best to save you, she risked her life, you have every right to hold grudges against Remus and I but Hermione has never done anything to you," he murmured quietly, purposely not mentioning the shampoo incident. "If you cause her anymore suffering I'll make sure you regret it."

Sirius walked out of the room leaving the door wide open and Remus in the room with Snape.

Snape met Remus' amber eyes for a moment and the werewolf smiled sadly at him. "I sugest an apology as being a good idea," he said, as he followed his friend out of the room leaving the Potions Master to his thoughts.

He had new memories to process, never did he think ignorance would come to bite him in his ass


	5. A New Beginning?

**Disclaimer: Not mine (well the plot line is…the characters are not)**

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**Chapter 4: A new beginning?**

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Sirius stood, leaning against the doorway of his and Hermione's bedroom watching her get ready for their appointment with Madame Pomfrey. It was the end of February and at eight months Hermione had, in Sirius eyes, never looked so beautiful. Her smile was continuously contagious and she carried that glow that only expectant mothers could achieve.

Hermione turned from her position on the settee and sent Sirius a warm smile.

"We're going to be late," he pointed out. "You know how Poppy gets when we're late."

Hermione grinned. "Yeah, she tends to blame you."

Sirius moved closer to Hermione with a thoughtful expression, "Odd, that."

"Maybe it's because it usually is your fault."

"Hey that wasn't my fault," Sirius said defending himself. "How was I supposed to know what that…_thing_ was your mother sent."

Hermione didn't bother to hide her grin remembering Sirius almost breaking his neck falling head over heels over the fold-up muggle pram Anne Granger had given them before he sent the helpless thing-with-wheels-out-to-kill-him up in flames.

Sirius blushed un-Sirius-like for a moment. "That was an accident, my wand just reacted to my plight."

Hermione grinned. "Oh yeah more like accidentally-on-purpose."

Sirius ignored the last comment and continued. "She can't blame me this time; I was ready ten minutes ago, unlike _some_ people."

"Yes but you didn't help _some_ people up now did you?"

Sirius grin faded and he glared mockingly at Hermione. "That is _so_ mean."

Hermione continued to grin and held out her hands. "Well, are you going to help me up or not?"

Sirius sighed begrudgingly. "I guess I have no choice in the matter."

Hermione laughed as Sirius pulled her to her feet. "Oh, my hard done by Bugs."

Sirius grinned and planted a kiss on Hermione's nose before taking her hand and leading her out of the room.

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As Sirius and Hermione wandered through the groups of students enjoying the weekend Hermione heard someone call her name.

Turning around all Hermione saw was Snape and a group of first year Hufflepuffs, neither of which would refer to her by her given name.

Snape came and stood next to the couple. "If I may have a word?"

Hermione, who was presently in a state of shock, didn't reply _'who are you and what have you done with Snape' _she thought as she stared curiously at the Potions Master.

She sent a glance to Sirius who had a small smile on his face, planting a kiss on her temple he stepped back. "I'll meet you in the hospital wing."

Hermione stared at his retreating back before turning back to Snape, who had just sent the first years scuttling away with a glance in their general direction.

"Severus?" Hermione asked finally finding her voice, slightly concerned at the uncertainty she could see in the dark eyes in front of her.

"Thank you."

Hermione raised an eyebrow and felt a smile pull at her lips. "Whatever for?"

Snape glanced down at Hermione's very pregnant stomach before meeting her chocolate eyes again.

"For risking your life, among other things, to help me," he answered as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world.

Hermione was stunned speechless once again. "You're…you're welcome Severus, but why the change of heart?"

Snape smirked. "Let's just say your husband goes to great lengths for your general well being."

"What did he do?" Hermione asked, growing suspicious of Sirius' actions.

"He just showed me something that I needed to see. Now enough of this small talk the students will begin to think I've gone soft," Snape nodded in farewell and strode off down the corridor in a billow of black robes.

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"Jade?"

"Sarah?"

"Annalise?"

"Claire?"

"Dominique?"

"Madison?"

Hermione's eyes lightened at Remus' suggestion.

"What's with all the girl names?" Sirius complained. "We don't know for sure what we are having," he pointed out.

"Troy?"

Hermione and Sirius looked at each other and shook their heads and Ginny looked a little disappointed.

They were surrounded by friends and family who they had invited for dinner. and were now into the 'naming game' part of the evening.

"I've always liked Elizabeth," Sirius suggested.

Hermione smiled. "I thought you were confident of having a boy."

Sirius grinned. "Doesn't hurt to cover all the bases."

"What about Eleanor," Remus recommended from the couch, earning another appraising look from Hermione.

"Moony! Boy names!"

Remus rolled his eyes at his friend. "How about James then?" he asked quietly.

"Well, um, we haven't really discussed _that_ yet," Sirius said, glancing uncertainly at Hermione then to Harry.

Harry smiled. "I like James, but if you get James, I get Lily."

Sirius raised his eyebrows and looked between his Godson and Ginny who was presently a shade similar to her hair.

"It's not going to be a boy," Hermione pointed out, resting comfortably in her rocking chair, her hands lying softly on her stomach.

"That's what you think," Sirius returned.

"That's what I _know._"

"It'll be a boy," Sirius said stubbornly.

"I for one think you'll be great with a daughter, Sirius," Tonks said from across the room, Remus nodding in agreement.

Sirius looked to Harry and Ginny, Ginny nodded but Harry just shrugged and smiled. "I think you'll both be great parents no matter if it's a boy or a girl."

Sirius nodded and smiled down at his wife.

"Besides," Harry continued. "It could always be twins."

Hermione paled slightly and Sirius blanched sending the room into a fit of laughter.

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Hermione saw Remus and Tonks off later on in the evening before returning to the room and grinning at the sight that greeted her. Sirius had fallen asleep at the desk surrounded by baby books, his head resting gently on his forearm.

Hermione stood beside him and picked up a few of the books.

'_A wizards guide to parenting'_

'_The how-to for wizards raising witches'_

'_The big book of wizarding names'_

Grinning Hermione placed a small kiss on the side of Sirius head before heading off to their bedroom, not wanting to disturb his rest while she prepared for bed.

Entering their large bathroom and closing the door behind her Hermione felt a blinding pain hit her and she cried out before grabbing the basin for support.

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Harry wandered back towards Sirius and Hermione's chambers to floo back to their home after saying goodnight to Ginny. Stepping quietly into the room he smirked at Sirius' sleeping form, not seeing Hermione anywhere he moved to gently wake his Godfather.

Before Harry reached him however Sirius bolted upright, his soft grey eyes wide and alert.

"Sirius?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Hermione?" Sirius asked, looking around before standing and running into the bedroom his black robes billowing out behind him.

Harry, growing more concerned by the second, followed.

"Hermione!" Sirius repeated, calling out for his wife.

A muffled cry from the bathroom sent both black haired men off at a run.

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	6. Miracle

Disclaimer: Not mine

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**Chapter 5: Miracle**

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Sirius paced backwards and forwards outside the hospital wing, Harry sitting on one of the chairs along the wall was beginning to grow dizzy. As soon as they had seen Hermione in pain, her skin pale and clammy as she clutched her stomach, they had rushed her to the hospital wing where Madame Pomfrey had taken one look at her and told the two men to wait outside.

Shocked at being separated from his wife, Sirius was left speechless as the door closed in front of him, since then he hadn't been able to stand still. Growing continuously agitated that he couldn't be in the same room as Hermione he had begun his dizzying pacing.

About to open the door himself Sirius was stopped by Remus running down the corridor with a tired looking Tonks on his heels.

"Sirius," Remus called. "What happened?"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know," he turned back to the door. "I have to go in there."

With no one daring to stop him Sirius slipped back into the hospital wing where he was confronted with a piercing scream of pain.

The others didn't even bother to hesitate as they followed the Animagus into the room.

Hermione was lying on the bed covered with a thin blanket; sweat beading on her forehead as Madame Pomfrey preformed diagnostic charms.

"Sirius?"

Hermione's voice was barley a whisper but in an instant Sirius was by her side, he stole a glance at the Medi-Witch who was finishing her charms.

"She's in labour."

"But she's not due for four more weeks," Sirius argued his eyes widening slightly.

Madame Pomfrey shook her head and smiled a little. "This baby wants out and it's going to get it."

Sirius turned to Remus. "Remus can you get Hermione's…"

"I'm on it Sirius," Remus said heading for the door. "I'll floo there now and bring them back."

Sirius nodded absentmindedly as he smiled down encouragingly at Hermione, her hand clasped tightly in his as he wiped the moisture from her brow.

Hermione's face contorted in pain as she was hit by another contraction, only three or four minutes between them now as the labour progressed. Gritting her teeth Hermione moaned in pain and tightened her grip on Sirius' hand.

"Just breathe sweetie," Sirius murmured.

Hermione closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath, Harry and Tonks watched on from the side, forgotten by Sirius as his full attention now focused on Hermione's wellbeing.

Hermione kept her eyes closed and concentrated her attention on Sirius' thumb, presently running backwards and forwards across her hand, the small gesture calming her nerves a fraction.

Madame Pomfrey came up beside the couple and Hermione opened her eyes.

"You're seven centimeters dilated, just keep breathing steadily, that's all you can do for now."

Hermione closed her eyes again and nodded. Sirius was practically sitting along the bed beside Hermione, her hand still tightly clasped in his as his other arm acted as a comforting pillow with Hermione resting her head on his shoulder.

Her body tensed again with another contraction and Sirius saw movement out of the corner of his eye as Dumbledore walked in with Ginny in tow. Ginny walked up to Harry, and after sending Sirius a reassuring smile, led him out of the room, Tonks and Dumbledore, whose eyes held their customary sparkle, followed.

Sirius and Hermione sat in silence for another hour before the contractions began to appear to mould together, their frequency and pain increasing, battering an already exhausted Hermione.

"Ten centimeters," Madame Pomfrey informed the couple quietly. "Not long now before you have to start to push, ok Hermione?"

Hermione nodded, her chocolate eyes remaining closed as Sirius brushed a loose curl away from her hot and clammy jaw line before placing a soft kiss on her burning temple.

"I love you," he murmured.

Hermione opened her eyes to meet Sirius' soft grey pair. "I love you too," her voice was a barely audible whisper and Sirius had never felt so helpless, never before had he been able to hold her like this and not ease her pain.

As Hermione was racked with contraction after contraction Remus slipped into the room and crouched down next to Sirius who tore his gaze away from his wife to meet Remus' amber eyes.

"Hermione's parents are outside, along with Dumbledore, Tonks, Harry and Ginny, Harry flooed Draco, he's on his way."

Sirius nodded. "I think its best they wait outside for now," he turned to Hermione. "Honey, your parents are here, do you want to see them?"

"Mum," she whispered.

Remus nodded and rose to his feet and walked to the other side of Hermione's bed and took her other hand. "You'll be ok Hermione," he murmured. "We're all here for you."

Hermione sent a grateful smile to her friend as he gently placed her hand back down and went to get Anne Granger.

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Sirius gritted his teeth in frustration as Hermione let out another agonizing cry of pain. Four hours into the labour and the contractions had become regular as her cervix fully dilated and they had begun to space apart allowing Hermione to relax as best as she could between them.

"Ok," Madame Pomfrey said from the end of the bed. "The baby's crowning your going to need to push now Hermione."

Hermione's features contorted as she gritted down and pushed.

"That's it Hermione, keep it up," the mediwitch encouraged.

Hermione cried out when she lost the energy to keep pushing. "It's so hard," she whispered, cracking her eyes open to look up at Sirius, his stormy eyes filled to the brim with concern.

"I know love, but you've come so far," Sirius sent a frantic look to Hermione's mum sitting on the other side of the bed.

"You need to push Hermione," Madame Pomfrey called down from the bed.

With tears streaming down her face Hermione pushed, screaming at the pain searing through her body. Sirius ignored the tears flowing from his own eyes as he murmured words of encouragement.

Half an hour after she had began to push Madame Pomfrey said three magical words. "One more Hermione."

"Did you hear that love," Sirius whispered in her ear. "One more."

Hermione took a deep breath and pushed her last scream mingling with the wails of an infant.

Sirius smiled brightened up the whole room as Madame Pomfrey preformed the spells to cut the umbilical cord and clean the baby, wrapping the child in a warm blanket the mediwitch handed the child over to its grandmother while she turned to tend to Hermione.

No matter how much Sirius wanted to hold his child it wasn't over for his wife, and he wasn't going to leave her side.

Twenty minutes later an exhausted Hermione lay down as the last of the after birth was delivered.

"You did it," Sirius whispered, brushing Hermione's hair back from her face.

Sirius felt someone behind him and turned to meet Anne's eyes before his grey ones fell to the quiet bundle in her arms.

Anne handed said bundle over to Sirius with a smile.

Sirius stared down at his child in awe smiling as he looked back up at Hermione, tears stinging his eyes as he handed Hermione her baby before slipping into the bed beside her.

"She's beautiful," Hermione whispered as she gazed down at her sleeping daughter before turning to Sirius with a smile. "She has your hair."

"She'll have your eyes," Sirius guessed. "Big beautiful chocolate eyes and ebony hair, going to be a looker this one."

Hermione let out an exhausted laugh, she wanted nothing more than to have sleep overtake her but she couldn't bring herself to give up the miracle resting in her arms.

"She's going to need a name," Sirius murmured.

"You think?" Hermione replied quietly.

Sirius chuckled lightly. "What do you think, Remus seems to be the king of great names, and I know you liked some of his suggestions."

Hermione turned her head slightly to meet Sirius' eyes. "I like Elizabeth."

Sirius smiled down at her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Elizabeth it is."

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An hour later Sirius left Hermione's side while she slept, she'd earned her rest ten times over and he didn't want to disturb her slumber. Cradling Elizabeth in his arms Sirius stepped out of the hospital wing and into the candle-lit corridor, at three in the morning the night was still and Sirius was greeted by an array of sleeping faces.

The only pair of eyes trained on Sirius and his daughter were amber ones matching the flickering candlelight surrounding them.

Sirius wandered over and sat down in the chair next to Remus and presented his daughter to his childhood friend.

"Remus, meet Elizabeth," Sirius murmured quietly so as to not wake the others.

Remus smiled down at the sleeping form nestled comfortably in Sirius' arms.

"She's beautiful Padfoot."

Sirius smiled not taking his eyes off his sleeping child. "I have a daughter Moony, I'm a father, can you believe it?"

Remus placed his arm around Sirius' shoulders for as much of a brotherly embrace that they could achieve with Sirius arms full. "Of course I do Sirius, there was never a doubt in anyone's mind."

Sirius' smile didn't waver as he gently stroked the small tuff of black hair on Elizabeth's delicate crown.

Glancing up Sirius looked around at all the sleeping faces. "Maybe we should make the introductions in the morning."

Remus smiled. "Probably a good idea, you look like you could use the rest."

Sirius smiled back. "First things first, here," he said as he handed Elizabeth over to Remus

"Sirius…I…" but Elizabeth was already resting comfortable in Remus' arms; she stirred slightly before falling back into her slumber.

"Sirius, I haven't held a baby since Harry."

Sirius grinned. "Neither had I, I think its like riding a bike, once you know what your doing you never forget."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "I can not believe you just compared holding a baby to riding a bike. Actually, no wait…yes I can."

Beside the werewolf Tonks stirred slightly, Remus looked down at her and handed Elizabeth back to Sirius.

"These lot are going to be a little stiff in the morning," Sirius whispered as he stood. "Bring Tonks in, there's a spare bed, Poppy won't mind."

Remus gently lifted the sleeping Auror into his arms and followed Sirius into the hospital wing leaving Harry, Ginny and Draco in the corridor outside, Hermione's parents, having already been introduced to their granddaughter, being given a bed in the hospital wing close to Hermione.

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"When's she going to wake up?"

"Potter, be quiet."

Sirius, who had settled in close to Hermione after laying Elizabeth down in her crib, cracked open his eyes as the morning sun lit up his Godson, Ginny and Draco standing over his daughter.

Hermione stirred next to him and Sirius swung his gaze to meet her chocolate eyes as she opened them.

"Good morning," he whispered. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore."

"I bet."

"Where's…"

Sirius grinned and looked over at Harry and Ginny who still hadn't noticed that the parents of the object of their attention were awake. Draco, on the opposite side of the crib however, noticed and sent Sirius and Hermione a congratulatory smile.

Sirius gently slipped from the bed and walked over the cold stone floor to bring Elizabeth over to Hermione.

"Thinking of the future mate?"

Harry jumped as Sirius came up behind him, Ginny again blushing to the roots of her fiery red hair.

Sirius scooped up Elizabeth and she moved slightly in his arms, grinning he looked up at Hermione who was smiling at her husband and daughter, propped comfortably up on a pile of pillows.

Stepping back over to the bed Sirius handed Elizabeth to Hermione before settling in beside her.

Harry and Ginny moved to sit on each side of the bed, Draco opting for a chair off to the side.

"Meet Elizabeth," Hermione introduced.

"She's so small," Harry murmured.

"Would you like to hold her?" Hermione offered.

Sirius grinned at Harry's horrified expression. "Err, it's ok, I'll just look for now."

"Hey," Sirius murmured. "She's waking up."

Hermione's gaze drifted down to her arms again and smiled as Elizabeth let out a tiny yawn before opening her eyes.

Sirius did a double take and looked at Hermione who grinned as her daughter stared up at their faces.

Hermione stroked the small head of her daughter gently. "My Grandmother had blue eyes."

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	7. Undivided

**Disclaimer: I along with billions of other people do not own Harry Potter….**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 6: Undivided**

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"Here."

"Sirius no."

"Harry."

"But I…"

"You're going to have to at some stage, please, just while I grab Hermione's overnight bag."

Before Harry could protest, Sirius had gently transferred one week old Elizabeth into his arms.

"Just watch her head, she can't hold it up herself yet," Sirius instructed as Harry became accustomed to the new weight in his arms.

Once Harry was sure Elizabeth was secure he sent Sirius a glare. "You know I could have grabbed the bag."

Sirius grinned. "I'll be right back," he said heading into the bedroom to grab Hermione's overnight bag. They were staying at their home for the weekend to get away from the bustle of the castle. Sirius and Harry had been left to bring Elizabeth and the rest of the gear as Ginny and Hermione went on ahead to the house.

Harry wandered over to the mantle and grinned at the framed photo of Hermione, Sirius and Elizabeth the morning after she was born, engraved on a small gold plaque at the base read, _Elizabeth Rosalyn Black, March 2nd 1999._

"She's beautiful isn't she?"

Harry turned to see Sirius standing beside him. "Who? Hermione or Elizabeth"

"Both."

"You are so smitten."

Sirius grinned and held up his hands. "Guilty as charged. Come on, best get going or Mummy will start to worry," Sirius scooped Elizabeth up in his arms and handed Harry the overnight bag before placing Elizabeth in the recently purchased baby carrier.

"What are you going to do? Floo?" Harry asked staring at Sirius and Elizabeth.

Sirius shook his head. "I can apparate with her, we'll walk out to the edge of the grounds."

Sirius did a double take at Harry's small smile. "What?...Oh if you're that lazy not to accompany your not-so-magically-abled Godfather, apparate from here."

Harry grinned. "Nah, I could use the fresh air."

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The first thing Hermione noticed when she arrived at the cottage was a muggle real-estate magazine with a few secluded houses circled. Grinning she looked up at Ginny.

"Looks like Harry's planning ahead."

Ginny shot Hermione a confused look before glancing down at the magazine on the table, and despite small smile spreading across her face she dismissed the prospect of moving in with Harry after graduation in a couple of months.

"He hasn't asked me yet, or talked about it, and I highly doubt that mum will let me move out at seventeen."

Hermione shot a sly grin at the redhead. "You never know."

Ginny couldn't stop her smile growing as she gazed down at the magazine.

Hermione picked up Sirius bag hoping he remembered her slightly bigger one still sitting in their room at Hogwarts. "I'm just going to take this upstairs."

Ginny looked up suddenly and Hermione missed the look of slight fear cross her face.

"Here, I'll take it, you just put your feet up; you deserve the rest."

Hermione shot Ginny a curious look. "I'm fine, I think I can handle the stairs."

"I'll take it anyway," before Hermione could protest further, Ginny had grabbed the bad and started up the stairs.

"Ok," Hermione said to herself as she turned back around and headed into the lounge where she found that at least Harry kept the place tidy.

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Half an hour later Hermione was discussing NEWTs with Ginny when Sirius and Harry arrived with Elizabeth.

"Ahh," Sirius said stepping in. "Home sweet home, no teenagers, no school, no Snape for a whole weekend."

Sirius missed the confused looks the two teenagers in the room sent him as he took Elizabeth over to Hermione, giving his wife a soft kiss as he transferred their daughter into her arms.

"I'll take your stuff upstairs."

Hermione sent Sirius a serious look. "I don't know honey, I think those stairs are dangerous to anyone over the age of twenty."

Sirius frowned and sent Hermione a look that clearly said 'what the…?'

Harry sent Ginny a wink before leading the group upstairs. "Don't just think I've been lazing about for the past few months."

Hermione and Sirius exchanged a curious look before following Harry down the long hall at the top of the stairs, next to the master bedroom he opened the door and Sirius and Hermione stepped in and gasped.

The walls had been painted in a soft yellow; in one corner was a small bed complete with a small white duvet and pale yellow blanket folded at the bottom. Along the other wall was a white cot with a knitted yellow blanket (courtesy of Molly) and a mobile swinging above it of snitches, quaffles and bludgers. The carpet was a soft cream and had a small rug in the middle that matched the yellow curtains hanging at the window. A box lay at the base of the bed for all the soft toys that had accumulated in the past week, a changing table next to the cot and another rocking chair in the corner next to the window.

"I started it a couple of months ago and I didn't know if you were having a boy or a girl so I went with yellow," Harry said breaking the silence.

"Harry," Hermione started stepping into the room. "This is…wow."

Sirius stared gobsmaked into the room before glancing at Harry, back into the room and back to Harry.

"Sirius, if you keep doing that you're going to get a kink in your neck," Hermione said, smiling from the middle of the room Elizabeth sleeping soundly in her arms.

Sirius grinned and stepped into the room after his wife leaving Harry standing at the door with Ginny, his arm resting lightly on her waist. Sirius stepped past Hermione and walked to the edge of the cot, placing both of his hands gently on the edge before twirling the sparkling snitches on the mobile.

"This is amazing Harry," Sirius complemented. "I cant believe you did all of this."

Harry shrugged. "I had a lot of spare time on my hands."

Hermione lay Elizabeth down gently in her new cot and walked across the room to give Harry a warm embrace. "Thank you," she whispered softly in his ear.

"You're welcome," he whispered back.

When Hermione stepped back Sirius gave Harry a warm pat on the back before thinking twice and mimicking Hermione's actions and giving his godson a hug.

"Well..." Harry started, stepping back and grinning at the pair in front of him. "If I'd known you'd be this emotional maybe I would have warned you first."

"I'm not emotional," Sirius stared defensively, his moist grey eyes stating the opposite.

"Sure sure," Harry returned grinning.

Hermione had wandered over to the widows and gently pulled the curtains closed, and after checking Elizabeth was settled and the wizard baby monitor was on, ushered the others out of the room gently pulling the door half closed behind her.

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Later on in the evening as the group settled comfortably in the lounge, Sirius spotted the real-estate magazine sitting open on the small table. Frowning slightly he reached forward picked it up and settled back down his eyes flicking to Harry who hadn't noticed his Godfathers actions, before he started to flick through it, tuning out the conversation around him.

"Sirius?"

Hermione glanced at the others when Sirius didn't reply and kept staring in front of him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Sirius."

Sirius looked up.

"Hmm?"

Hermione smiled at him. "Where were you, thought we'd lost you there for a moment."

Sirius swung his grey eyes to Harry who had finally noticed what Sirius was holding in his hands.

Sirius held Harry's green eyes as Hermione and Ginny exchanged concerned glances, a small cry was heard through the baby monitor and Sirius broke the eye contact and stood; the magazine landing on the table.

"I'll check on her," he said quietly, more to himself than the others as he left the room.

"Umm," Harry started, staring at the empty doorway before glancing sheepishly at Hermione. "I think that was my fault."

Hermione shook her head and sent Harry a comforting smile. "I'll go and talk to him," she said standing and walking out of the room.

"I was only looking," Harry said quietly.

Ginny took his hand in hers and gave it a small squeeze which he returned.

"I thought that maybe he'd…they would want their own space."

Ginny smiled and nudged Harry so he looked up at her. "Maybe Sirius just wanted a family."

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Hermione knocked softly on the nursery door.

"Sirius," she said quietly as she entered.

Sirius was sitting on the rocking chair with Elizabeth in his lap staring into her blue eyes as she stared back.

"Poppy said she'll like eye contact," he murmured quietly.

Hermione moved and knelt down next to Sirius and Elizabeth.

"Are you ok?" she asked softly.

Sirius nodded and sat still for a moment before bringing his spare hand up to his face and ran it from his forehead down to his chin.

"Was I wrong to assume that Harry would stay here? With us?" he asked, turning to meet Hermione's chocolate eyes.

Hermione shook her head and placed her hand over his. "Maybe Harry didn't know that's what you wanted."

Sirius expression remained impassive. "We have enough room here, for him and Ginny, we even have enough room for Remus and Tonks if they wanted to stay. I just don't understand why he wouldn't want to stay or did he grow up that fast and I didn't notice?"

"Maybe you should talk to him," Hermione suggested.

A soft knock at the door brought Hermione's attention away from Sirius to Harry, standing at the door; a small cry from Sirius' lap and Hermione was picking up Elizabeth.

"I think someone needs a feed," she said smiling at her daughter while leaving Sirius and Harry to talk.

"Sirius..." Harry started moving in closer and sitting at the window seat, the still drawn curtains casting a soft glow around the room as the evening sun set in the west. "I didn't…I mean…umm…I was only looking."

Sirius smiled sadly at Harry. "Its ok mate, if you want your own place I can't stop you."

Harry shook his head. "I love it here, I mean for most of the year I have the place to myself, but I just thought that now you and Hermione have Elizabeth that, I don't know, that maybe you'd want your space."

"Harry, just because we have Elizabeth doesn't mean you're any less wanted, any less loved," Sirius stood from the rocking chair and sat next to Harry. "You're more than welcome to stay here, as well as Ginny when she graduates."

Harry didn't say anything just nodded.

Sirius put his arm around Harry's shoulder and pulled him into a hug. "So you'll stay, for now at least?"

Harry nodded again. "Yeah. Ill stay."

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**A/N: ****Big bag of cookies or chocolates or whatever you want if you can tell me the significance of March the 2nd…BUT it has nothing to do with the Harry Potter universe….who does Elizabeth share her birthday with ; ) **


	8. Little bit of Soul

**Disclaimer Not mine, neither Harry Potter or Bon Jovi, whom Elizabeth just happens to share her birthday with :)**

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**Chapter 7: Little bit of soul**

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Hermione and Sirius' chambers were a bustle of activity on the morning of graduation. Bags and suitcases for the summer where piled at the door. Sirius was searching for a clean shirt void of any baby badges that Elizabeth had added to his clothing. Hermione was making sure they had everything for the summer while doing her hair, checking off items on her mental checklist, calming Harry down who was fretting about the possibility of having to say something on the anniversary of the final battle, heating a bottle for three month old Elizabeth in preparation for the long day ahead, while tending to Elizabeth who felt this was a good time to start to cry from the bedroom where she had been laid down to sleep.

"I'll go," Harry offered. "Wait…that's not her 'I need a change cry' is it?"

Hermione shook her head. "She just woke up, she probably just wants some company."

"Ah-ha," Sirius exclaimed from across the room holding up a relatively clean shirt. "Damn it," he swore when he noticed the lipstick stain on the collar, courtesy of Hermione.

"Sirius," Hermione scolded walking across to him and performing a cleaning charm on the garment in his hands.

"Hmm, didn't think of that."

"Obviously."

From the bedroom Elizabeth's cries had stopped and small giggles could be heard through the room. Hermione and Sirius exchanged warm smiles as Harry brought Elizabeth out in his arms, her own two small arms swiping at his glasses as she attempted to grab them but couldn't get her small fingers to wrap around the frames.

"Come here munchkin," Sirius said taking a giggling Elizabeth from Harry's arms as Hermione checked all the bags had been packed. "What was all that crying for hmm?"

Elizabeth just stared wide eyed at her dad, listening to his voice, breaking into a toothless grin when he finished.

"You have everyone under your little finger don't you," Sirius said as he gently picked up one of Elizabeth's small hands in his and turned it over pretending to do a thorough search while Elizabeth giggled away.

A knock at the door ceased the small punctuated giggles and Elizabeth turned a curious gaze to the door which her small blue eyes could only just make out.

"Come in," Sirius called causing Elizabeth to turn back to the sound of his voice. Sirius smiled down at her earning himself another beaming grin.

Remus entered the room and smiled at the sight, Harry and Hermione were busy shrinking the luggage while Sirius had the oh so difficult job of entertaining his daughter.

"Hey Moony," Sirius greeted.

"Padfoot," Remus returned. "Hello Hermione, Harry…Sirius, why aren't you helping?"

"It's ok, it's all done," Hermione announced, before Sirius had a chance to defend himself. "We better get going, Dumbledore will begin to wonder where we are," Hermione paused. "Where's Tonks?"

"She said she'll be here but she might have been caught up at work," Remus answered as Sirius began to put a small pink cardigan on Elizabeth who decided to declare war on the knitted pink thing and didn't stop swinging her arms around.

Remus stepped up to the end of the table to help, catching Elizabeth's attention with his familiar amber eyes as she stared up at his upside down face.

"Hello little dumpling, are you making things difficult for your daddy?"

Elizabeth stared wide eyed up at Remus, her arms ceasing their swinging allowing Sirius to slip them through the tiny sleeves.

Sirius grinned down at Elizabeth who noticed the change and stared back at her father before rolling onto her side, Sirius' hands steadying her so she didn't roll off the table.

Hermione came into view and Elizabeth broke into another toothless grin and began to swing her arms around again.

Hermione picked up her daughter and smiled at the two men. "Time to go, we'll come back for the stuff later."

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Tonks waved her wand to neatly pack up the piles of notes on her desk, after the loss of Kingsley in the final battle Tonks had been promoted to his position and was now in charge of a staff of fifteen Aurors working cases throughout the community.

Now however she was late for Ginny's graduation and she rushed to pack up her stuff. After a small stumble over her robes that got caught on her chair, Tonks made her way over to the elevator to take her up to the fireplaces to she could floo to Hogwarts.

Tonks had on a pair of relatively nice robes for the graduation and morphed so her hair was a deep auburn colour and fell just past her shoulders.

Stepping into the elevator Tonks moved to one of the back corners away from the hushed conversation in the other corner which she couldn't help hearing snippets of.

"Are the Aurors doing anything about it?"

Tonks ears picked up at this.

"Don't think so, I think it's too high up at the moment, they are looking for something though."

"What?"

"Don't know, I just know someone who works in the maternity ward at St Mungos and said they've been having officials come in every few days."

"Odd."

"I know, probably nothing."

The elevator dinged and the two wizards stepped out leaving a confused Tonks behind.

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Tonks raced up the steps towards the Great Hall dusting herself off at the same time, her thoughts filled with the overheard conversation her brain clicking into investigative mode as she quietly pulled open the door, relieved that the ceremony hadn't started. Moving past all the guests she saw Sirius, Hermione, Harry and Remus near the front, grinning when she saw Elizabeth giggling happily in Remus' lap.

Stumbling over a pair of, in Tonks' opinion, rudely placed feet she sat down in the spare seat next to Remus, Elizabeth halting her giggles to stare curiously up at her with her bright blue eyes.

Remus smiled warmly at her. "She doesn't recognize you, your hair is too long."

"Oh," Tonks morphed her hair to short pink spikes to match Elizabeth's cardigan. Elizabeth stared at Tonks for a moment before looking back up at Remus who smiled down at her to which she mimicked back.

Dumbledore stepped up to the platform and Hermione took Elizabeth out of Remus' hands to sit on her own lap, facing forward her eyes focussing on the closest thing possible; strands of black hair belonging to the owner of the seat in front of her.

Hermione didn't notice anything out of the ordinary of Elizabeth's swiping hands as she listened to the headmaster's speech, before moving onto the graduating class, honouring both the graduating students and those that would have graduated if they had not lost their lives in the battle the previous year.

Elizabeth fingers curled around a strand of black hair and not knowing what else to do now that she had actually accomplished her goal she yanked.

Snapes resounding 'Ow' echoed through the hall as he turned to glare at Hermione who was attempting to untangle Elizabeth's fingers from his greasy locks, on either side of her Sirius and Remus, and most likely Tonks and Harry as well, were trying to maintain their laughter as various 'shushs' followed Snapes exclamation.

Elizabeth grinned up at Snape, the pale wizard wasn't a stranger and she had yet to experience his temper, so for now he was in the list of 'nice people'. Not having anything to do with her hands now she went to put them in her mouth before Sirius, almost crying out, stopped her, it might be ok to pull Snape's hair but there was no way she was putting her fingers in her mouth afterwards.

While Sirius attempted to amuse Elizabeth so that she didn't start to fuss at not being able to put her fingers in her mouth, Dumbledore slowly made his way through the list of graduates till he reached Ginny's name near the end.

"Ginny Weasley."

Sirius looked up as the young redhead accepted her graduation certificate, he was swept back to when Lily received hers, the light in her bright green eyes had been dull that day, and her smile didn't quite reach them after Hermione had been taken the previous morning. Sirius' eyes flickered to his wife and he hoped Lily knew her friend had been found.

His attention was brought back to Dumbledore when the last of the students had filed off the stage.

"There will be a memorial ceremony held outside in an hour, everyone is welcome," the headmaster concluded, stepping back off the platform as the audience starting the shuffling of an exit or beeline to their children.

The group waited in their seats, Sirius rummaging through their baby bag to find a wipe to clean Elizabeth's hands while Hermione preformed a simple cleaning spell. Sirius looked up from his search to meet Hermione's grinning face.

"Didn't think of that."

"Obviously," Hermione's grin disappeared as a concerned expression graced her features. "Are you ok? You're not really with it today."

"I'm fine," Sirius answered sending Hermione a reassuring smile. "Afraid that I might be loosing it?" he asked with a grin.

Hermione smiled back but Sirius could still see the concern in her eyes. "I'm fine honey, just my usual self not thinking, which is hard to do around two beautiful ladies," Sirius turned his attention to Elizabeth who was finally sucking contently on her fingers, her eyes drooping slightly, he picked her up and cradled her in his arms, her new position causing her to fully close her eyes and almost immediately fall asleep.

Ginny's red hair could be seen as she was surrounded by other heads of red, her entire remaining family, including Percy, congratulating her. Harry stood and made his way over, sweeping Ginny into a hug when he reached her.

"Congratulations," he whispered.

"Thanks."

"Ron would have been proud".

Ginny's eyes moistened slightly and she nodded smiling at Harry and her family as the others joined them, Molly a little disappointed that Elizabeth was asleep.

"Was that Snape I heard earlier?" Bill asked the group.

Sirius grinned. "My daughter made me proud today, only three months and she's already embarrassing Snape."

"What did she do?" Molly asked shocked.

"She pulled his hair."

Fred and Bill looked at each other and burst out laughing while Molly sent them a stern look.

Over to the side Remus noticed an unusually quiet metamorphmagus.

"Hey," he murmured. "You ok?"

Tonks nodded. "Just thinking about something I heard at work, not to mention what today the anniversary is of."

Remus shot her a sympathetic smile.

"I should get outside; dad said he'll meet me at two."

Remus checked the large clock in the hall which read one thirty.

"Would you like me to come with you?" he asked softly.

Tonks nodded. "Thanks."

Remus squeezed her hand and quietly informed Sirius that they were heading outside. Sirius nodded and said they'll be following shortly.

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The day was bleak, matching the general mood of the people gathered, the skies were grey and the early summer wind whipped up sending Hermione and Sirius' cloaks up around their legs. Sirius' cloak that Hermione had gifted him her first Christmas back proudly showed the outlines of a wolf, a dog and a stag.

Hermione sheltered a sleeping Elizabeth against her, no one available to baby-sit in the warm castle as everyone was at the memorial.

Dumbledore spoke followed by the head of the Auror division. After this the new minister made his way to the small stage, a tall light haired wizard whom Sirius frowned at, Sirius hadn't voted for him, he voted for the other guy.

Harry tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible standing between Sirius and Remus with Ginny wrapped in his arms in front of him. Dumbledore had thanked him, obviously, but left the grateful teenager out of the limelight.

The new minister however was not so lenient as he spoke to the croud.

"Most of all we need to thank one young man in particular. Mister Potter, I believe you are present, why not come up and say a few words."

Harry shrunk slightly attempting to hide behind the shorter redhead in front of him as the crowd began to look around for the boy-who-lived.

The new minister, no one bar Remus or Hermione could remember his name, gave a slight chuckle.

"Come on Harry, just a few words, you did single-handedly defeated you-know-who and yet you seem to not want anything out of it."

Sirius felt Harry tense beside him and straighten up. Before anyone knew what was happening Harry was striding through the crowd that parted easily for him and mounted the stage at the front.

The minister grinned at him but faltered when Harry didn't return it. Harry muttered a quiet _'Sonorus'_ before turning to the silent crowd.

Harry scanned the crowed until his gaze landed on his friends, his expression warmed slightly and he sent them a smile.

"It's been a year since the final battle and this is my first official announcement and most likely my last."

Harry met Hermione's eyes and she nodded encouragingly.

"I would like everyone to know that I did not single-handedly defeat Voldemort."

Harry ignored the audible gasp rippling through the crowd at the mention of he-who-must-not-be-named's name and continued

"Four hundred and fifty six wizards and witches died in a span of a little over twenty years in the fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters, including my Mum, my Dad and my best friend," Harry paused to gather his thoughts. "There are not only the dead to honour, but the survivors who fought, the survivors who lost loved ones, lost family and friends."

"There are also five others who deserve as much thanks as I do. The man who was as much of a brother that I could have ever asked for, Ronald Weasley, my mentor Remus Lupin, the man I consider a father; Sirius Black, my best friend and sister; Hermione Black and the love of my life Ginny Weasley."

"Without them, without their presence in my life, their unconditional support and love I would not have been able to defeat Voldemort by myself. Before the final battle the six of us experienced a form of magic so natural that it channelled their magic through me, what people saw that night was not only my magic but the magic of five others, one who cannot be here today. So this will be the last public announcement I make, it may have been my wand, my body but it was not me alone who defeated Voldemort therefore I would appreciate it if it was not referred to in the future as a single handed defeat."

Harry muttered the counter curse for the sonorous charm and quietly stepped off the stage a stunned silence surrounding him as he walked back up to Ginny who welcomed him into open arms, Sirius sending his infamous Black-glare to curious onlookers.

A slightly confused minister, a Robert Tompkinson Hermione had informed Sirius, retook the stage and stammered through the rest of his planned speech.

When the speeches were finished the crowd began to dissipate leaving the small group that resided at Hogwarts behind.

"Come on," Sirius murmured, his arm guiding Hermione inside. "Let's go home."

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	9. Blaze of Glory

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

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**Chapter 8: Blaze of Glory**

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Hermione lay awake, smiling in the early hours of a late August morning as she listened to the nonsensical babblings of her daughter drift through the silence between them. Beside her, Sirius lay sleeping, off in his own little dream world, Hermione knew he wouldn't be asleep much longer as he always seemed to know when she was awake.

Sure enough, not five minutes later, pulled from his dream of James with antlers babbling at him nonsensically in a very childlike voice, Sirius' grey eyes fluttered open to focus on Hermione's smiling face.

Sirius opened his mouth to say something but Hermione gently held a finger to his lips.

"Just listen," she murmured.

Sure enough, when Sirius tuned his ears, the very dream-James sounding babbles reached them.

"She's talking," Sirius said softly. "Albeit not in English, but she seems to be enjoying her conversation."

Hermione grinned at him in the dark. "She sounds like you when you talk in your sleep."

"I don't talk in my sleep."

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling when Sirius didn't answer.

"At least I don't snore."

"I don't snore."

Hermione could almost feel Sirius' grin, "I didn't say you did, I just pointed out that I didn't."

"Hey," Hermione murmured. "She stopped."

Sure enough Elizabeth's small voice now ceased to reach her parents ears.

Sitting in silence for a moment both Sirius and Hermione waited to see if she would start again.

After a moment of silence a small giggle reached the room.

Sirius grinned. "She was listening to us."

Sure enough as soon as Sirius began to talk Elizabeth fell quiet again.

Silently Hermione slipped out of the bed and pulled on her bathrobe before making her way through the dark to the nursery. Sirius not wanting to miss out soon followed when a louder giggle erupted as Elizabeth saw her mum walk into the room.

The light of the small child lamp in the corner, shaped like a snitch, spread a soft glow over Hermione and Elizabeth as Sirius stopped in the doorway to watch. Hermione's long loose curls caught the edge of the light as she bent over the crib to play with Elizabeth.

Sirius grinned as Hermione reached down into the crib, his daughter catching two of Hermione's fingers in her own and giggling like there was no tomorrow as Hermione picked her up. Standing at the door Sirius just stared at his wife and daughter interacting, Elizabeth's toothless grin spread across her face as she tangled her small fingers in one of Hermione's curls. Over Hermione's shoulder Elizabeth spotted her dad and started to bounce excitedly in Hermione's arms.

Smiling Sirius wandered over to his family as Elizabeth reached out for him, winking at Hermione, Sirius scooped his daughter up in his arms.

"Hello Munchkin, what are you doing up so early?"

Not responding to Sirius, Elizabeth immediately reached for a lock of his long ebony hair and proceeded to pull it towards her mouth.

"Ow," Sirius winced.

"And you thought she just wanted you," Hermione said, laughing as she made no attempt to rescue Sirius from the clutches of Elizabeth.

Seeing Hermione laughing Elizabeth began to grin again, bouncing in Sirius' arms, the lock of hair still clutched in her hand pulling with each bounce.

Sirius gently pried Elizabeth's fingers from his hair and looked into her shiny blue eyes. "Not Daddies hair ok sweetie, if you don't pull mine I'll let you pull Uncle Harry's and Uncle Moony's."

Elizabeth stared up at Sirius as if she was taking in what he was saying before she reached for another clump of his hair.

"What's going on?" Came a sleepy voice from the door. "What time is it?"

Hermione and Sirius turned to see Harry standing at the door, his hair messier than normal and his eyes still half closed in sleep.

"Go back to sleep Harry, it's only four," Hermione said quietly. "Sorry we woke you."

Harry nodded absentmindedly and turned to head back to his and Ginny's room, a few seconds later a string of expletives came down the hall. Sirius handed Elizabeth back to Hermione to poke his head out of the door, just noticing Harry limp into his room after a likely confrontation between the doorway and his little toe.

Elizabeth's mouth opened in a large yawn and Hermione laid her down on the changing table to change her nappy before putting her back down to sleep. When Elizabeth was tucked in her parents waited till her blue eyes had closed, before heading back to their own bed for a few more hours of sleep before a bungy jumping crazed Auror arrived in the morning.

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Sirius was nursing a cup of tea while Harry nursed an ice pack on his swollen little toe when Tonks and Remus turned up.

"Wotcher Sirius, Wotcher Harry," Tonks greeted her hair bright bubblegum pink. "Where's Elizabeth?"

Sirius waggled a finger at his cousin. "Anyone would believe you had ulterior motives for visiting me."

"She does," Remus said, taking a seat at the table.

Tonks grinned as Hermione walked into the room with Ginny and a screaming Elizabeth.

Tonks' face immediately fell as she approached the screaming child. "Oh dear, what's the matter?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, she's not hungry, she won't let me put her down to sleep and Ginny just changed her. I thought brining her down here might help, do you want to take her? She might want to play."

Tonks shrugged as Sirius and Remus exchanged amused looks. "Sure why not?" Hermione transferred the screaming child into the metamorphmagus' arms and Tonks carried her into the lounge and sat her on the floor with her toys.

Hermione poured herself a cup of tea, glad for the small break as the others watched Tonks with Elizabeth. Within minutes her wails had subsided to small sobs as Tonks talked animatedly to the black haired baby as she played with her toys.

Sirius stared at Tonks. "How'd you do that?" he asked. "Whenever she's like that with me she cries for hours."

"She does not," Hermione argued, hitting Sirius upside the head. "It just seems like hours to you."

Tonks had Elizabeth sitting upright on the floor as she handed her a rattle with a snitch on the end. Sirius and Harry, Hermione had decided, had far to much influence on the toys her daughter played with. Elizabeth grabbed the rattle in her small hands, her eyes and cheeks puffy and red from her tears, as she began to shake it vigorously a small smile spreading across her face.

"Has she displayed any magic yet?" Remus asked, as he watched Tonks play with Elizabeth on the floor.

Sirius shook his head. "Not yet," he answered, warily eyeing the brochures on the table that Tonks had brought with her.

On the floor a while later, Elizabeth had positioned herself on her stomach and was attempting to wiggle forward towards the table of adults who, other than Tonks, no longer had their attention on her playtime but on the brochures now spread out among the five at the table.

"How about this one?" Sirius asked. "Its remote, means we can apparate without any hassles."

Harry took the pamphlet out of Sirius' hands and laughed. "No way, its only twenty meters, that's barely a jump."

Sirius' face fell slightly and grumbling he picked up another from the pile.

"I think an inter-city one might be better anyway," Hermione suggested. "It means we can apparate to an apparition point and not have to worry about turning up in the middle of nowhere without a car."

Slowly the brochures were split into two piles, ones that were too remote and others that were too high, which, without Tonks at the table, was beginning to form the biggest pile.

Picking up another brochure, somewhat begrudgingly, Sirius felt a small tug on his jeans and looked down under the table at a pair of bright blue eyes still rimmed slightly in red. Tonks, still sitting on the floor was also now next to Sirius.

Sirius reached down and picked Elizabeth up and sat her in his lap as Tonks took the last remaining chair at the table, her violet eyes immediately falling on the pile of brochures that had been deemed 'too high'.

"You can help daddy sweetheart," Sirius said facing Elizabeth towards the center of the table. Immediately her hands went for the brightly coloured pieces of card in front of her.

"What are these ones?" Tonks asked.

"Those are the 'Sirius-is-a-wimp' ones," Remus answered before elaborating further. "They're too high."

Tonks' face fell and she glared across at Sirius. "Fine, what else have you got?"

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Sirius stared up at the bridge, the day was beautiful, the sky bright blue, the sun shining and not even a hint of a breeze was on the air. The bridge itself was an arch, both sides on low ground as the muggle cars drove up then back down again.

"Over here."

Sirius turned to see Tonks practically skip up to the small building off to the side. Her short, bright blue hair stood out against the yellow the small shed-like building had been painted.

Sirius looked over at the others, Harry and Ginny were standing with Remus and began to follow Tonks as Hermione stood beside him and looked up at the bridge with Elizabeth in her arms.

"It doesn't seem too bad," Hermione said, a slight hint of nervousness in her voice. "At least Tonks let us pick right?"

"Right," Sirius agreed, as they made their way up the path.

Inside Tonks was talking to the muggle at the desk about every aspect of bungy jumping that she could, Remus watching on in amusement as the guy supplied all the answers happily.

"So," the muggle started looking around at the group. "Who's jumping?"

Tonks and Hermione raised their hands, Sirius following after a jab in the side from his wife.

The muggle nodded.. "Ok then, my name's A.J, I'll run you through what we'll be doing today."

Hermione handed Elizabeth off to Remus who stood back with Harry and Ginny as AJ explained the next hour or so of events.

"First up you need to be weighed so the guys up in the pod, where you'll be jumping from," AJ explained after noticing the confused faces in front of him. "It's under the bridge, just a small pod-like structure, the guys in the pod will calibrate the cords to your weight for a safe jump."

"After I weigh you you'll be harnessed up and I'll send you up the bridge. Any questions?"

Sirius shook his head along with Hermione and Tonks.

"Right then, I'll get you to write your names down here, and sign at the bottom. It's just a contract to state that you are willing to jump, which, if you change your mind at the top you can, no one forces you to do anything."

Hermione began to read through the form.

_Please indicate if you have any of the following conditions which may prevent participation:_

_Pregnancy. High Blood Pressure. Diabetes. Epilepsy. Neurological Disorders. Heart Conditions. Fragile Skin. Bone Disorders. Dislocations. Acute fear of heights._

Hermione signed her name off at the bottom of the form and glanced over at Sirius whose pen was hovering precariously over what looked like Neurological Disorders.

Hermione poked him in the side. "Sign it."

Sirius glanced across at her and sighed, signing the form like he was signing away his life.

After all three were done they handed them back to AJ who glanced down at the forms.

"Right first up, um, Nymphradora is it?"

Remus was surprised at the accurate pronunciation and grinned as Tonks flinched slightly.

"Tonks is fine."

"Alright Tonks, if you could just step up on the scales there," AJ indicated to what looked like a square piece of silver lifted slightly off the floor.

With no worries whatsoever Tonks hopped up on the scales and the small screen digitally read out her weight which AJ recorded down.

"Great, Her-mi-o-nee?" he said, attempting to sound out Hermione's name.

Hermione nodded. "Hermione," she replied, sounding it out at normal speed so he'd know who to pronounce it. Stepping up on the scales AJ recorded her weight and flicked to Sirius' form.

"Well, you guys sure like the unique names. Sirius."

Sirius stepped up on the scales for AJ to complete the weights which he typed into a computer to be sent up to 'the pod'.

"Ok time to harness you up."

AJ handed Hermione a harness and she stepped into the holes for her legs and quickly fastened it around her upper thighs and waist, she'd done a little abseiling with her dad when she was younger and knew her way around a harness. Sirius on the other hand was getting some help from Harry, who'd never worn a harness in his life but understood the basics. Hermione wandered over and helped Sirius finish, who, as soon as the harness was secure, began to complain at how uncomfortable it was.

Ten minutes later the three jumpers were standing at the bottom of the bridge as cars zoomed across overhead. Harry, Ginny and Remus stood off to the side waiting at the bottom with Elizabeth to see the others jump.

Clipping safety lines to their harnesses from the bridge, with Tonks in the lead and Sirius at the rear, AJ instructed the group just to walk up the steel pathway under the bridge then up the stairs at the top and into the pod.

The jump itself was fifty five meters high but the bridge was long, meaning that it wasn't overly steep, which meant, as Sirius pointed out, it seemed to take forever to get to the top. The whole way up Sirius and Hermione argued on who was jumping first, ignoring Tonks who said she'd happily be the first to jump.

When they reached the stairs they climbed into the pod which was exactly that, a pod. A steel and glass pod split into two, half was filled with the jumping gear and two muggles, the other empty with a glass bottom for viewing. Two odd looking chairs sat between the two halves where Hermione assumed was where they strapped you in.

"G'day," one of the muggles greeted. "My name is Mike and this is Steve, today, we'll be throwing you off a bridge."

Sirius paled slightly as Mike went through safety procedures.

"Right, lets get started. Sirius," he called, reading from a piece of white paper "Would you like to take a seat?"

Sirius paled further. "I think Tonks wanted to jump first."

"Sorry mate, we work with weights, each group jumps in weight order, heaviest to lightest."

Sirius, with a stomach full of butterflies sat in the seat and glanced at Hermione who stood next to him and patted him on the arm.

"You'll be fine, just remember what you've been through, this will be a walk in the park."

Unusually quiet Sirius watched at the straps were attached around his ankles, a large padded weight sitting next to the rubber bungy cord. Mike clipped an extra line from Sirius' ankles to the harness around his waist that had another red strap of cord attached.

"Ok, Sirius, once you've bounced three times, reach up and pull this cord, it'll release your feet so you'll be hanging upright from your harness rather than us pulling you back up upside down."

Sirius nodded. "Bounce three times, pull little red cord."

"You've got it, off we go."

Mike lead Sirius, who shuffled along his feet joined at the ankles and was lead out on a concrete platform that resembled that of a plank on a pirate ship.

"I want you to step up here and just put your toes over the edge."

Sirius did what he was told as Mike dropped the weight over the side so it dangled in front of Sirius. Looking down Sirius saw the green-blue of the water below, fifty meters sure looked high when standing under a bridge attached only by a giant rubber band.

"Don't look down," Mike instructed. "See that line over there?" Mike pointed to a line on one of the steel beams of the bridge about five meters out from the ledge.

Sirius nodded.

"Keep your eye on that, there's also a camera just over there, give that a little wave and a smile."

Sirius forced a grin onto his face and gave a half of a wave to the muggle camera and wondered if it was one of their still ones or a movie one.

"I'm going to count down from five and then you just jump, ok? If you don't jump that's alright, we'll calm down a little then try again"

Sirius nodded, subconsciously glancing down at the water again.

"Keep your eyes up mate," Mike instructed causing Sirius' grey eyes to dart back up.

"Ready, five, four, three, two, one…BUNGY!"

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Harry looked around and pulled out his omnioculars and glanced up under the bridge.

"Who's jumping first?" Ginny asked, wishing she'd brought a pair of omnioculars herself.

"Looks like Sirius," Harry replied zooming in slightly. "Yep, looks nervous as hell too."

Remus chuckled and glanced up at the pod before handing Elizabeth off to Ginny and pulling out his camera. They were quite a distance from where the jump was but he would capture what he could nonetheless.

Sighting the bridge through the lens Remus waited for his fellow Marauder to jump.

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"…BUNGY"

Right up until the word 'bungy' Sirius had convinced himself his feet wouldn't leave the ground, but when that word reached his ears Sirius felt his body reacting, and he jumped.

The wind rushed past his face and his stomach felt like it was in his feet as the water rushed up to meet him, after what seemed like forever, Sirius' hands touched the water and he was pulled back up until gravity took over and he was falling again, slightly slower this time and not as close to the waters surface.

'_Two,'_ Sirius counted in his head as he felt himself rise again, then begin to fall, the total range of up and down motion decreasing with each bounce.

'_Three,'_ Sirius reached up and yanked on the red cord, immediately his feet were free and he felt himself spin rapidly one hundred and eighty degrees where he took the time to breathe again. _'Merlin, I cannot believe I just did that,'_ he thought looking around as he felt himself slow rise back up towards the pod.

"WELL DONE!" Steve called, down from the edge as Sirius was pulled back in.

Sirius just nodded, his hands shaking with adrenaline. Looking over he saw Hermione sitting in the chair grinning nervously at him as Mike strapped her feet in.

Sirius stood still and waited for Steve to take the bungy gear off from around his ankles. Tonks was itching to come over to talk to Sirius but stayed with Hermione while she was strapped in.

Once he was free Sirius climbed over the barrier between each side of the pod and walked shakily up to Hermione who was being told about the little red cord.

Hermione's attention was fixed on Mike, her student psyche kicking in as she listened to the instructions. As soon as he was finished she turned to Sirius.

"How was it?" she asked.

Sirius could see her hands shaking and smiled at her. "Its fine."

"Come on then," Mike instructed, leading a shuffling Hermione over to the edge.

"How is it really?" Tonks asked Sirius.

"Bloody scary," Sirius replied. "Muggles are crazy."

Tonks grinned. "That's why I love 'em."

Sirius rolled his eyes then switched his attention to Hermione who had reached the end of the 'plank'.

Hermione's hands were shaking and she kept bringing them up to her face, an act of nervousness she was unaccustomed to. In the background she could here encouraging words from Sirius and focused her attention on his voice.

Looking over the edge as Sirius had done Hermione felt her stomach fall to her feet before she'd even jumped.

"It's best not to look down, look up at that line."

Mike pointed out the line which Hermione spotted before her eyes fell down again.

Mike noticed this and pointed at the line again. "Smile and wave at the camera."

Hermione forced a smile, and waved before her eyes drifted down to the green-blue waters below.

"Up at the line Hermione," Mike reminded..

Hermione's eyes flickered up then down again.

Mike chuckled,. "That's ok, some people can't control where they look."

"I'm going to count down then you jump on Bungy, if you don't want to jump that's alright, you're in control of the whole thing."

Hermione nodded, her chocolate eyes still fixed on the waters below.

"Five, four, three, two, one…BUNGY"

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"Who's next?" Harry asked Ginny, after she'd, with the help of Elizabeth grabbing Harry's glasses, managed to procure the omnioculars off Harry.

"Looks like Hermione."

Elizabeth started to bounce in Harry's arms as she spotted a flock of seagulls flying nearby causing Remus to bring his camera up and snap a few pictures of his goddaughter with Harry

"She's getting ready to jump," Ginny announced, and Remus readied his camera again..

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"…BUNGY"

Hermione didn't hesitate before she leapt off the platform, unlike Sirius she didn't feel her stomach drop as it had already done so beforehand. The cool air flowed past her face as gravity pulled her down to the water, her fingers brushed the liquid before she bounced back up.

From the glass bottomed pod Sirius grinned as he saw Hermione bounce three times before pulling the cord. Glancing at Tonks Sirius noticed she was preoccupied watching Hermione and quickly turned to Mike to ask a small favour.

"Tonks, you're up" Mike called, as Sirius stepped back, a mischevious glint in his eyes.

Tonks practically leapt into the seat. "Strap me in Mike."

Mike laughed. "It'll be my pleasure."

Sirius looked over at Steve who was helping Hermione over the ledge. Knowing Tonks would be fine he patted her on the shoulder before heading over to Hermione.

"Alright?" He asked over the small barrier as Steve unfastened the braces around her ankles

Hermione nodded. "I am so pumped right now, the adrenaline is just…"

Sirius grinned. "So you liked it?"

"It was bearable," she sent Sirius a glare. "I know you fibbed to me."

Sirius grinned and turned his face into an innocent mask he'd perfected at Hogwarts.

"That doesn't work with me."

Sirius held out a hand to help Hermione climb the barrier and swept her into a big hug. "Can we make a deal?" he asked.

"What kind of deal?"

"Let's never make a bet like that again."

Hermione chuckled against his chest. "Deal."

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"There's Tonks," Ginny called, still in possession of Harry's omnioculars. A pair of amber eyes and a pair of emerald eyes looked up from a pair of sapphire eyes to the figure with bright blue hair on the edge of the pod.

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"Ready?" Mike asked.

"I was born ready," Tonks replied a large grin on her face..

"Ok then. Five, four, three, two, one…BUNGY!"

Tonks bent her knees and leapt off the bridge as far as she could, unlike Sirius and Hermione who, because of their inability to breathe on the way down, Tonks let out a loud cry of ecstasy as she hurtled down to the water.

Unlike Sirius and Hermione however when her hands reached the water she kept going and felt herself fully submerge, taking a mouthful at the same time.

Coughing and spluttering Tonks was pulled back up into the air, letting out a loud whoop as soon as she got her breath back.

Up in the pod Hermione gasped as Tonks disappeared under the water, Sirius beside her burst out laughing and high-fived Mike across the barrier.

A dripping wet Auror came into view over the edge.

"Alright Dora?" Sirius asked, grinning at the blue haired witch.

"That was bloody brilliant," Tonks replied grinning, Sirius and Hermione could tell she was itching to get out of the restraints around her ankles.

Once free she leapt over the barrier into Sirius' arms soaking him in the process. "Thank you."

Sirius chuckled. "What for?"

"For being two of the most stubborn people I have ever met."

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After being given a video and photos of their jumps Sirius, Hermione and Tonks walked back down the bridge and after being unclasped by AJ at the bottom Tonks leapt into Remus arms.

"That was awesome," she laughed, as he spun her around before placing her back on her feet.

"I'm sure it was." Remus replied grinning ignoring the fact that he was also now wet and he'd never left the safety of the ground, "Alright there Padfoot?" he asked Sirius

Sirius, his heart rate back at a manageable rate, nodded and Harry passed him his daughter.

"Hello Munchkin," he said smiling at her. "Did you have fun looking at the boats?"

"Birds," Harry corrected. "She was looking at the birds."

Sirius turned back to Elizabeth. "Were you now? Wanna show daddy"

Elizabeth just grinned up at Sirius.

"Come on lets go."

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A little over a week later Tonks stifled a yawn as she signed off another completed assignment from her team. She'd spent most of the previous weekend moving a pile of her stuff from her flat to Hogwarts so she could stay with Remus throughout the year. She was leasing her flat to a fellow Auror on her team for the time being so she could decide whether or not she wanted to sell it. Realistically it was too small for her and Remus but that was something she needed to discuss further with the Lycan.

Looking up at her assignment basket Tonks noticed it was empty.

"Oh joy," she muttered to herself. "We are just so swamped."

"Is that sarcasm coming from that innocent mouth of yours?"

Tonks spun in her chair to see Graham, a fellow Auror in charge of another team based at the other end of the hall.

"My team has no work to do," Tonks complained.

"We have a few active cases down my end, wouldn't hurt if you sent someone down to help if you can spare them."

Tonks nodded. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

Graham nodded and turned down the hall to the group of cubicles through the door at the far end.

Sighing Tonks leaned back in her chair and placed her feet up on her desk smiling at the framed photos that littered it. The one of Hermione, Sirius and Elizabeth, a copy of the one on their own mantelpiece, had pride and place next to one taken of herself and Remus.

Craning her head back Tonks looked through the open door of the office willing a paper plane note to come through with a new assignment. She almost upended herself when one did come flying through the door.

This was different though. This note was bright red and carried the Ministers seal. Tonks leapt from her chair, being the only team with no assignments Tonks was sure this was going to be for her.

Her face fell however when the note carried on down the hall and into Grahams office.

Confused Tonks sank back into her chair glancing up a few minutes later when a shadow fell over her desk.

"So," she said to Graham. "What does the minister want?" She asked knowing full well he wasn't permitted to tell her.

Graham didn't answer her, only reached out and picked up the framed photo of Sirius, Hermione and Elizabeth.

"Family?" Graham asked.

Tonks frowned and nodded. "My mums cousin and his wife and daughter, she just turned six months."

Graham grinned and placed the frame back down before turning serious. "You know Tonks, sometimes it's not a good idea to display pictures like this, you never know who will look at them."

Confused Tonks frowned again as Graham headed out of the office, leaning forward she picked up the frame and turned it over in her hands, on the back was a folded up piece of parchment.

Looking around to make sure no one was watching Tonks unfolded the parchment.

'_Lunch, just like old times, about time we caught up on current events and family'_

Tonks knew Graham had left her the note and knew exactly where to go for lunch after having going to the same place with her old Auror partner for years when they'd first graduated from the academy.

Gently pulling the photo from the frame and slipping it into her pocket Tonks grabbed her wand and headed out the door.

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**Hermione and Sirius' jumps were a combination of my own experience bungy jumping. It is an amazing accomplishment and I would reccomend it to anyone. **


	10. She's a Mystery

**Disclaimer: Not mine…Harry or Bon Jovi.**

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**Chapter 9: She's a Mystery**

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Tonks spotted the dark haired man sitting at a window seat in the quaint little café they used to lunch at. Sitting down in front of him Tonks waited for Graham to acknowledge her presence.

"You know I'm not supposed to tell you this right?" He asked without looking at her.

Tonks didn't answer; her face was set hard as she waited for Graham to tell her what he'd brought her here for.

Graham slipped a piece of parchment over the table, finally looking up to meet her eyes.

Tonks held them for a minute before unfolding the paper and reading the single line written in Graham's familiar script.

_..an infant of black and blue.._

"What is this?" Tonks asked quietly.

"I was given that and instructions to find any infant born in the past year that fits that description," Graham paused and placed a hand over Tonks' causing her to look up. "Tonks, the child in that photo, Sirius and Hermione Blacks daughter, what colour eyes does she have?"

Tonks glared at Graham and kept her mouth shut.

"Tonks, I'm only trying to help you..."

"You can help me by staying away from my Goddaughter."

"You don't understand, I want to stay away from her for as long as possible, our orders are to find any black haired blue eyed infant then report to the minister. His officials take over from there, and if I can stop them questioning two of the people who helped save the wizarding world I will." Graham paused again "Tonks, what colour are you Goddaughters eyes?" he asked again.

Tonks' eyes were filled with worry as she answered quietly, glancing back down at the piece of parchment. "Blue."

Graham sighed and sat back. "We believe that may be a part of a new prophecy."

Tonks' head snapped up again. "What? But prophecies are supposed to be kept secret the ministry can't involve themselves if the prophecy wasn't for them."

"That's what I thought, which means there must be more to this than what we've been told," Graham stood to leave, "My advice is to keep your Goddaughter away from ministry officials for as long as possible, it may not be anything but…" Graham let his sentence run off as he patted Tonks on the shoulder and left, leaving her staring down at the small piece of parchment.

…_an infant of black and blue…_

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Remus woke in the early hours of the morning and frowned, normally he was accustomed to waking at this time in an effort to steal back some of the sheets Tonks was so good at pilfering in the middle of the night. Tonight however the presence of the duvet covering him woke him. Rolling over he noticed the bed was otherwise empty and a soft glow was emitting from under the closed door. Slipping on a robe Remus stepped out of the room and into the small lounge area where he found Tonks sitting on the couch in front of a small fire.

Taking a seat beside her Remus looked at what she was holding. It was the photo of Sirius, Hermione and Elizabeth that had been sitting on her desk in her office.

"Tonks?" Remus asked quietly, concerned as a small tear rolled down her face. "Nymph, what's the matter?" He asked gently wiping away the tear.

Tonks looked up and met his eyes. "I've been warned by a friend at the ministry to keep Elizabeth safe."

Remus frowned. "Safe? From what?"

"The ministry."

"Tonks, I don't understand."

Tonks handed Remus a piece of parchment.

_..an infant of black and blue.._

"Graham's team has been ordered to find an infant born in the past year that matches that description then report it to the minister. They think it might be a new prophecy."

Remus read the line thoughtfully, the way it was worded made it possible that it was part of a prophecy. "Is that all they had?" he asked looking up at Tonks and meeting her eyes.

Tonks nodded. "It's probably nothing you know, but I can't stop thinking that maybe it is something…I don't want it to be something Remus. Sirius and Hermione have been through too much already."

Remus pulled Tonks into his arms and placed a small kiss on the top of her head. "I know," he whispered his mind wandering to that single line on the parchment.

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"I'm going to give Elizabeth a bath," Hermione announced walking though the living room of their chambers where Sirius was going through some homework set for his NEWTs class, "Do you want to help?" She asked knowing Sirius loved to bath Elizabeth.

Sirius grinned up from his work. "I'll be in soon."

Hermione wandered into the bathroom with Elizabeth in her arms and placed her on the mat on the floor. She turned the water on before opening the cupboard above the sink. "How about some bubbles?" She asked Elizabeth, who just grinned up and made ba-ba sounds, Hermione laughed, "Bubbles it is," she said as she poured a small amount into the warm water. Turning off the taps she turned to undress Elizabeth before slipping her into the bath, giggling Elizabeth immediately began to splash sending foamy white bubbles and water into Hermione's hair.

Out in the lounge Sirius was finding it hard to concentrate on his work with the sounds of Hermione and Elizabeth's laughter floating in to meet his ears. After a few minutes of torture Sirius stood and wandered into the bathroom.

Hermione heard Sirius approaching, and still supporting Elizabeth's back turned to greet him as he walked in.

"You two make a lot of noise…hey…since when did we have gold bubble bath?"

Confused Hermione turned back to the back and gasped as she took in the gold bubbles floating in the water before looking at a grinning Elizabeth.

"They weren't gold," she whispered in shock, "they were white."

Sirius frowned then looked from Hermione to Elizabeth before grinning and moving in to kneel next to Hermione.

"Hello my little Munchkin, can you change the colour of the bubbles again?"

Elizabeth just giggled and shrieked continuing to soak Sirius and Hermione in the process as both watched on to see if the bubbles would change again.

"Sirius?" Remus' voice flowed into the room, "Hermione?"

"In here Moony," Sirius called, not taking his eyes off Elizabeth.

Remus stepped into the bathroom and Elizabeth's grin grew as she recognised the sandy haired man, and, in between the giggles and splashes, the bubbles turned to amber.

"Um," Remus started, as Sirius and Hermione grinned at Elizabeth, "who just did that?"

"Wasn't me," Sirius stated. "Hermione?"

Hermione shook her head, a beaming smile on her face. "Not me."

Sirius turned to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth giggled again and continued to splash the now amber coloured bubbles about.

"Moony, grab the camera," Sirius ordered, not taking his eyes off his daughter.

Remus did what he was asked bumping into Tonks in the process.

"What's the rush?" she asked, as Remus grabbed Sirius' camera.

"Come and see," he said, grinning and leading the pink haired witch into the bathroom, the camera ready in his hands.

Remus entered first and was followed by a slightly confused Tonks. As soon as Elizabeth saw the Auror her face lit up and the bubbles turned violet.

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Ten minutes later and Sirius was flooing Harry and Ginny to tell them the news as Hermione dried Elizabeth off and dressed her. On the couch Tonks prepared herself to give Sirius and Hermione the news.

Sirius noticed the change in Tonks' demeanour as he sat opposite them on the couch and frowned at his cousin.

"Alright Tonks?" He asked, as Hermione handed him Elizabeth while she went to dry herself off.

Tonks glanced nervously at Remus who elaborated for Sirius. "Tonks found something out at the ministry and she's just a little worried about it."

Sirius frowned. "What did you find out?"

"Maybe we should wait for Hermione," Tonks suggested.

Sirius eyed Tonks suspiciously but let the matter settle until Hermione entered the room, eyeing the subdued group warily.

Once Hermione was seated, Sirius turned to Tonks for an explanation, Elizabeth settling comfortably in his lap.

Tonks handed Sirius the piece of parchment, "One of our teams has been given this," she explained as Sirius and Hermione read the line, "They're looking into any child born in the last year that fits that description."

Hermione frowned and Sirius' face was unreadable as he slowly looked up from the parchment back to Tonks clearly wanting further explanation.

Tonks uncharacteristically cowered under the stares from Sirius and Hermione, "They think it may be a new prophecy," she murmured.

"Is that all they have?" Hermione asked, her eyes falling on Elizabeth.

Tonks nodded, "At the moment that's all they've been given, when they find a child fitting the description they have to inform the ministry officials."

"It doesn't mean anything," Remus murmured from beside Tonks, "You shouldn't worry too much at the moment, just try to keep Elizabeth out of sight."

Sirius' grey eyes fell on his daughter and he pulled her closer, "There must be quite a few black haired blue eyed babies out there," he murmured, "Remus is right, we'll just keep her away from the ministry for as long as we can."

"They can't be doing this if it's a prophecy, they are supposed to be private," Hermione pointed out.

"That's what I said," Tonks answered.

A burst of green flames in the fire place interrupted the group and Harry stepped out followed by Ginny, dusting themselves off as they made their way over to the couches.

"Where's my favourite little witch?" Harry asked, walking up to Elizabeth not noticing the quiet group of adults.

Elizabeth squealed happily as Harry lifted her up in his arms her fingers immediately reaching for his glasses.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked, glancing around at the others. She was still dressed in her training robes from St Mungo's where she'd begun studying to be a healer. Harry was also dressed in his training robes after finally starting Auror training.

Harry now took the time to glance around at the sombre faces surrounding him. "What's happened?"

Hermione handed Harry the piece of parchment and explained what they'd just learnt.

Harry glanced down at the smiling child in his arms and shrugged, "Doesn't mean anything," he stated simply, his face unreadable as the others glanced at each other. They all knew how he felt about prophecies.

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Sirius and Hermione heard nothing else on the matter for the next two months. Tonks was updating them regularly from what information Graham was able to pass on and from the sounds of it the ministry was beginning to become frustrated with the whole thing. Rumours were beginning to build up with some reaching Ginny at St Mungos and others reaching Harry and Draco at the academy.

Nothing though was able to prepare Sirius and Hermione for what was in the Daily Prophet at the end of November.

Sirius and Hermione joined Remus and Tonks in the Great Hall for breakfast, Hermione transfigured a chair into a highchair for eight month old Elizabeth to sit in as the owls arrived with the morning post.

Sirius and Remus both unfolded copies of the Prophet as Hermione put a small piece of toast in front of Elizabeth to chew on.

"Holy Mother of Merlin!" Sirius cried, upending his tea over Remus' paper with his exclamation and earning curious glances from the student population as well as one from his daughter.

"Sirius?" Hermione asked concerned, but Sirius' eyes were already scanning the page.

_**Breaking News! Ministry Reveals Prophecy For The First Time In History.**_

_In a shocking press release from the Minister of Magic, Robert Tomkinson, reveals an almost six month old search for a prophesised child. With the ministry searches pulling up no apparent leads it has put a call out to the community for help. The following is the prophecy released to the media. _

_Born to the two of time stolen, an infant of black and blue,  
__Unknown, Dark or Light, a fresh mould to hew,  
__Vigilance in the wind as the sky begins to once more darken,  
__A new peril in the air should this infant be taken,_

_The Minister has expressed his concerns about keeping this infant safe from any immediate danger and requests that any new parent whose child has black hair and blue eyes be brought forward as ministry searches so far have come up negative. _

Hermione had tears in her eyes as she read over Sirius' shoulder, as soon as the black haired wizard had finished reading he stood and picked Elizabeth up out of her highchair, grabbed Hermione's hand and walked out of the room.

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	11. These days

**Disclaimer: Nada, Nein…NOPE….**

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**Chapter 10: These Days**

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The air was cold and crisp as a hooded figure dressed in black made their way quickly across the dark grounds of the ancient site, disturbing the thin layer of mist at ground level with their long strides, the pale smoke-like substance forming intricate ribbon-like patterns in the night air. Looking around the figure pulled out a thin stick and muttered something in Latin under their breath while waving their hand around. Out of thin air a small cabin appeared to which they entered swiftly, closing the door behind them with a soft thud that didn't even warrant an echo in the stillness around it. A few moments later the building disappeared and the calmness of the night took over once again.

Not many ventured to this place now, the comings and goings of the hooded figures were few and far between. Only something of great importance would merit a gathering of the remainder of their kind in one place.

The hooded figure made their way through the dark corridor, moisture dripping from the damp walls, he hadn't been summoned in the traditional way, that was impossible now, no thanks to the boy-who-lived, but felt there would be a gathering after what had been revealed in the Daily Prophet earlier that day.

The prophecy had ignited a small hope in the remaining Death Eaters and they were going to grab every chance they could to avenge their Dark Lord.

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Sirius watched Hermione standing next to Elizabeth's crib quietly singing a lullaby to woo the dark haired child to sleep. Sirius' mind flicked to the prophecy in the paper this morning, he and Hermione hadn't spoken of it yet, in fact the day had been relatively subdued as they shut out the rest of the outside world and spent a day playing with their daughter.

Sirius sighed and stepped up to Hermione, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist before resting his chin on her shoulder as she continued to sing. Sirius watched as Elizabeth's blue eyes began to close and her breathing even out as she fell into a content sleep.

After a few minutes of watching Elizabeth sleep Hermione turned in Sirius arms and he held her tight as she clung desperately to him as if her life depended on it. One of his hands crossed her lower back the other tangled in her hair as she pressed her face into his shoulder trying desperately to stop the inevitable tears from flowing.

"Come on," Sirius whispered, leading Hermione out of the room and into the lounge, a small fire lit by the house elves crackling slightly to ward of the chill of the years first snow.

Sirius sat down on the couch and pulled Hermione down into his side, a position they'd come accustomed to in the same ancient building all those years ago in the Gryffindor common room.

"It's Elizabeth isn't it?" Hermione asked quietly.

"'_Born to the two of time stolen, an infant of black and blue,'_" Sirius quoted from memory, "I can't see how it isn't; we've had time stolen from us in more ways than one, and black and blue…" Sirius' soft voice trailed off leaving a silence to settle over the room.

Hermione rested her head on Sirius chest, tucked snugly under his chin as she drew irregular patterns with her fingers across his shirt as he stroaked her long curls.

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Remus was beginning to grow dizzy with the amount of pacing taking place in his chambers. Sitting on the couch next to his he could see Ginny was suffering the same fate, as Harry and Tonks, both too agitated to stay sitting, walked backwards and forwards across the room.

Earlier in the day an irate Harry and flooed to Remus' chambers, the Daily Prophet clutched in his fist as he'd began to rant. It took about ten minutes for Remus to grasp hold of the fact that Harry had flooed to his chambers because Sirius and Hermione had apparently temporarily disconnected their fireplace from the floo network. Since then Remus had been unable to calm the James look-alike down.

"Harry!"

Harry stopped and turned to face a frustrated redhead.

"Would you stop pacing? I'm trying to think here."

Harry sighed and sat down next to Ginny. Remus looked at Tonks, caught her gaze and sent her a pointed look. Sighing, in a slightly more dramatic fashion than Harry, Tonks sat down beside Remus.

"What are we going to do?" Ginny asked, into the silence.

"We're going to keep Elizabeth away from the damn corrupt Ministry that's what," Tonks stated emphatically.

"You work for that damn corrupt Ministry," Remus pointed out, Tonks ignored the remark and continued.

"Look, no one knows about Elizabeth except for Graham and I trust him with my life, her birth certificate is safe and confidential unless the ministry decides to breach confidential forms," Tonks glanced around at the others, "therefore we keep a low profile, keep Elizabeth out of the public eye."

Harry nodded and smirked slightly, "If worse comes to worse I'll just use my boy-who-defeated-you-know-who status, I'm sure it'll count for something."

"It shouldn't have to," Remus murmured glancing down at the parchment in front of him, the prophecy written in the center, his elegant script circling it with different theories. "For now we just have to keep Elizabeth safe."

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Three weeks later Sirius was woken by a soft knocking at the door. He, Hermione and Elizabeth were back at their house for the winter holidays and Christmas this year decided to bring with it a blizzard, which, unfortunately for Sirius, meant no intrepid bike ride.

"Come in," Sirius called softly, so not to wake Hermione.

The door opened and Harry stepped into the dark room with Elizabeth in his arms.

"Merry Christmas Sirius," Harry greeted quietly, he was wrapped up warmly to ward off the blizzard raging outside since Sirius and Hermione had disconnected the floo network at the house as well as Hogwarts. "Ginny and I are off to the Burrow, are you sure you won't come?"

Sirius took Elizabeth from Harry and sat her down on his stomach and shook his head. "Tell Molly maybe next year, send our wishes."

Harry nodded. "We'll be home later, I think Remus and Tonks are going to the Burrow too."

Sirius nodded, and wished Harry a merry Christmas before his godson slipped out of the room.

Sirius looked to Elizabeth who, sitting on his stomach, was staring up at him with her bright blue eyes.

"Merry Christmas Munchkin," he whispered, lifting her so she was cradled in the crook of his arm between himself and Hermione. "Best be a little quiet, mummy likes her Christmas morning sleep in."

Elizabeth grinned at the sound of his voice but remained quiet as she grasped one of Sirius' fingers in her own.

Hermione stirred and rolled over, stopping when she felt her daughter between herself and Sirius, cracking open her eyes she took in her family, both of whom had their eyes on her.

"Merry Christmas love," Sirius whispered.

Hermione smiled and re-positioned herself on the bed so that Elizabeth was encircled by her parents who watched as the bright blue eyes began to close as Elizabeth fell back to sleep.

Hermione smiled and closed her eyes again, leaving Sirius to watch the two sleeping beside him.

Sirius brought up his free hand and began to gently stroke Hermione's curls, happy to just lie in on Christmas morning with his family in his arms. The sky outside was dark, the sun blocked out by the storm, and Sirius found his mind cleared for the first time in weeks as he just lay there. No thoughts of the prophecy, or the ministry, just nothing as he listened to the sounds of Hermione and Elizabeth breathe.

He didn't know how long they lay there before there was another knock at the door.

"Padfoot?"

"Its ok Moony," Sirius called quietly.

Remus stepped into the room and grinned at the sight. "Tonks and I were just on our way to the Burrow," he whispered, placing a small wrapped box on the night stand, "we'll pop by later."

Sirius nodded, "Merry Christmas Remus."

Remus smiled, "Merry Christmas Sirius."

"Remus?"

Remus turned to see a blue haired Tonks poke her head into the room, sending Sirius a smile he cut the Auror off. "Come on, they're sleeping, you can see Elizabeth later."

When the door was closed Sirius reached for the small box Remus had deposited next to his head. Gently pulling loose the ribbon Sirius lifted the lid off, looked inside and grinned.

"What's with people giving me keys for Christmas." He said quietly to himself.

Lifting out the two identical keys revealed a note at the bottom of the box. Sirius frowned, confused for a moment before breaking out into a huge grin and gently nudging Hermione awake, unable to keep the new breakthrough to himself.

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Remus and Tonks arrived to a warm reception at the Burrow, Molly was bustling around her kitchen as the others celebrated Christmas. Any offer to help Molly was received with a threatening wooden spoon if anyone came near her cooking.

Glancing around the room, Remus was pleased to see that any photo displayed with Elizabeth in it were ones of her sleeping. Molly and Arthur, though no formal discussion had taken place, were being cautious for the young one. They knew the ministry knew where they lived, they knew Percy, who although had apologized to his parents, was still strongly loyal to the ministry and could visit home at any time.

It was these two factors that had swayed Sirius and Hermione to stay at home for Christmas. No one had argued their decision even when no explanation for not coming was given.

Tonks came up behind Remus and wrapped her slender arms around his waist. Turning in her arms Remus turned to look down at her and smiled.

"Lunch is ready," she said beaming. He knew she was bursting to announce what the couple had treated themselves to for Christmas.

Remus let himself be led to the table and took his seat between Tonks and Harry. Fred and Bill sat opposite with Ginny beside Harry. Remus was also surprised to see Draco at the table, apparently he and Harry had long put aside their differences and had become quite the team at the academy.

A light hum of conversation struck up around the table as the food was set down by Molly and Arthur.

"Don't wait, dig in," Arthur quipped, taking his seat.

No one needed to be told twice and began to pile their plates with food. Remus listened to Harry and Draco's account of their stealth training exercise before Harry's sentence faded off as he glared somewhat at the doorway.

Noticing the rest of the table had quietened Remus saw Percy standing at the door brushing off the snow from the blizzard raging outside.

"Percy dear, I didn't realize you were coming," Molly exclaimed, recovering from her shock and conjuring an extra chair.

Percy looked around the room, "Well one is inclined to attend Christmas dinner when one is invited," he stated pompously.

Fred glared at his older brother, "Just like one is inclined to reply to said invitation instead of turning up in the middle of lunch."

"Now Fred," Molly started as Percy sat down, "Percy's busy at work, it's quite alright he didn't reply."

Remus himself found it rather rude on Percy's part but could see that Molly and Arthur were pleased their son was home for Christmas.

"Remus," Harry's voice came from beside him, "Get anything nice for Christmas?" he asked curiously.

Remus smiled and glanced at Tonks who was grinning back at Harry. Nodding slightly he let the Auror announce what she'd been dying to share.

"Actually Harry we thought we'd treat ourselves instead of buying each other gifts," Tonks said, beaming at the messy haired wizard. Across the table Fred and Bill had caught the tale end of the sentence and were waiting for Tonks to finish.

Remus handed Harry a box, similar to what he'd given Sirius and Hermione. Frowning in confusion Harry opened the box, every eye at the table now on him.

Grasping hold of the keys and reading the note Harry turned back to the couple beside him. "Spare keys?" he asked, "To what?"

Remus saw Draco roll his eyes at what Harry had missed, beside him Ginny was grinning.

"To our house," Tonks answered.

Realization dawned in Harry's green eyes and he beamed at Tonks and Remus, "Congratulations, looks like we'll be taking a detour between here and Sirius and Hermione's then."

Remus chuckled and shook his head, "And leave Sirius out, I don't think we'd live that one down."

"So Remus," Fred grinned, across the table, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "you have a beautiful woman and a house, all you need now is to get married and have babies."

Remus shot Tonks a glance and was surprised to see her blushing, "Um, we haven't really…"

"Fred," scolded Arthur with a hint of a smile on his face, "Leave Remus and Tonks alone, those are matters not to be discussed with all your friends present."

Percy cleared his throat from further down the table, his eyes were on Remus in a slightly pointed look, "So you actually believe you're going to breed then are you?" he asked, in a superior voice.

Molly let out a sharp gasp in surprise and every other set of eyes in the room sent glares in Percy's direction.

Remus opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Tonks, "So what if we are, I don't believe that is any of your business." Her violet eyes flashed dangerously and Remus silently hoped she would keep her wand in her robes.

"Quiet contraire Miss Tonks, it is the Ministry's business to know the going ons of half breeds. I think they'll be surprised one is actually in a relationship, didn't report that one did you?"

"I didn't believe my personal life was so sought after by the Ministry," Remus growled out.

Percy nodded, "It is wise to be precautious about situations like this. How long have you had the witch under your spell then?"

Bill rose to his feet, Fred, Draco and Harry following suit, "Get out," Bill whispered.

"Now Bill, it's Christmas," Molly looked positively distraught and at a loss at what to do.

"Sorry mum," Bill apologized, not taking his eyes off Percy, "But he has no right speaking to Remus like that, if he has nothing better to say he can shut his trap or leave."

Molly and Arthur sent pleading looks to their son and Percy nodded, agreeing to drop the matter though not looking too happy about it.

The others all took their seats and Remus sent an apologetic look to Molly who just smiled warmly back.

Lunch progressed at a more civil manner, mainly due to the fact that eighty percent of the table wasn't conversing with Percy and blatantly ignored him.

Retreating to the lounge after everything had been cleaned up Draco sat beside Remus on the long couch, "Are you going back to Hermione's after?" he asked quietly

Remus nodded, "Hermione asked me to pass on the invite," he answered, passing on a small smile knowing the friendship the pair had.

Draco smiled and nodded, keeping his eye on Percy who was unfortunately studying the family photos around the room.

"Where are Black and Miss Granger?" he asked, looking around the room as everyone stifled groans.

"Sirius and Hermione, who no longer goes by Granger, are spending Christmas at home." Harry replied cautiously

Percy nodded, "I didn't realize they had a child."

Ginny scoffed, "You met her at my graduation…git," she muttered under her breath.

"Oh," Percy seemed unable to remember but shrugged it off, "What colour eyes does she have?"

"An odd question Weasley," Draco mused, "Any normal person would ask what her name was."

Percy glared at the blonde, "I'm merely curious, no doubt you all know of the new prophecy."

No one answered, Molly was beginning to grow worried again but there was no way she'd put Elizabeth safety behind her grown son, who was more than capable of looking after himself.

"She has her mother's eyes." Tonks answered, standing up from her position next to Remus.

"Brown?" Percy asked, glancing back at the photo, "Are you sure Miss Tonks? You are an employee of the Ministry, it'll be best if you did not lie."

"They're brown, I should know, she is my Goddaughter. And it'll be best for your health if you stopped poking your nose into other peoples business," Tonks was standing in front of the redhead now and was glaring at him menacingly.

"Is that a threat?"

Remus jumped up and pulled Tonks back before she did anything she would regret. Bill and Fred were in the process of not so subtly shoving their brother out of the door, neither of them being stopped by Molly or Arthur as Percy ended up outside in the blizzard.

Once Percy had left the room fell silent, Christmas hadn't really turned out at all Christmassy and Remus wondered how Sirius and Hermione were faring.

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Sirius placed Elizabeth in her highchair as Hermione pulled down one of her mother's cookbooks from the shelf. Turning Sirius paused, eyeing his wife flicking through the pages. Hermione, feeling his eyes on her turned and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You're going to cook? Why not just magic it?"

Hermione shrugged and turned back to the book, "_I'm_ not doing anything, _we_ are going to cook. Besides it'll be better done the muggle way."

"If you say so," Sirius moved up to the counter and stood next to Hermione, "Where do we start?"

"Turkey."

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An hour later the turkey - or damned-bird-of-hell as Sirius had called it - was roasting in the oven and Hermione and Sirius were contemplating what dessert to make.

"Apple crumble," Sirius said, pointing to the recipe.

"It's not really a Christmas dish, what about Christmas pudding?" Hermione asked.

Sirius looked at the recipe for Christmas pudding and shook his head, "Too hard, apple crumble will be done quickly which means we have more spare time."

Hermione contemplated this before reaching for some apples in the fruit bowl, "Apple crumble it is, I'll peel, you do the crumble."

Sirius fetched the sugar, butter and flour required for the crumble from the pantry.

Sitting in her highchair, Elizabeth's attention was focused on the small snitch in her hand, the quaffles and bludgers had already been biffed onto the floor. Her mother's laughter brought her bright blue eyes back up to her parents.

"What?" Sirius asked, and eyebrow raised as Hermione laughed at him.

Hermione pointed at his face and attempted to curb her laughter, "You have a bit of…"

Sirius wiped his face smearing more flour over the already present smudge making Hermione's laughter grow. From her position in her highchair Elizabeth let out a giggle, mimicking her mother.

"You think its funny do you?" Sirius asked, reaching out and smearing flour on both Hermione's and Elizabeth's cheeks, Elizabeth's giggles grew while Hermione gasped and stopped laughing.

Sirius and Hermione stared at each other, brown and grey in a standoff. Simultaneously they both lunged for the bag of flour sitting so innocently on the bench.

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Five people appeared outside the large cottage with a pop in the middle of a chilling wind.

"DO YOU THINK THEY'LL MIND IF WE'RE A LITTLE EARLY?" Draco shouted over the wind whipping around them.

"WHAT?" Ginny yelled back.

"Bloody disconnecting the damn floo," Harry mumbled under his breath as he followed Remus and Tonks up to the front door of the house.

Stepping in, the group stomped the snow from their boots and removed their heavy winter cloaks.

"Sirius?" Remus called.

There was no answer but they could hear laughter coming from down the hall.

Pushing open the kitchen door the group was greeted by a sight similar to what they'd just been in. The room and its occupants, who had yet to notice the new arrivals, were covered in a fine white powder.

Sirius had Hermione from behind, pinning her arms to her side as she struggled to get free. An attempt that was futile while she was laughing so much, Elizabeth was clapping her powder covered hands together as her parents covered the room in flour.

While still holding Hermione Sirius managed to get one arm free and proceeded to pour the remaining flour over Hermione's head, half of it ending up on him in the process.

Elizabeth squealed when she saw the new occupants of the room, signaling to her parents that they had an audience.

"Moony. We weren't expecting you till later," Sirius stated, grinning through the layer of flour on his face.

"Evidently," the lycan responded dryly

Sirius and Hermione grinned at each other, the observers all wearing small smiles of their own.

"Um, we'll just, you know, get cleaned up," Hermione grabbed Sirius hand and went to leave the room pausing to grab Elizabeth on the way.

"Don't worry," Tonks offered, stepping into the flour and lifting Elizabeth from Hermione's arms, "I'll clean her up, give her a bath in the other bathroom, would you like that?" she asked, turning to the now grey haired child in her arms.

Elizabeth grinned and began to bounce in Tonks' arms as the blue haired witch carried her up to the spare bathroom.

Sirius grinned at Hermione, "Race you."

To the amusement of the others left in the room the couple sped up the stairs, Hermione shoving Sirius out of the way in the process.

"I guess we should clean this up," Ginny said, looking around the room.

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Sirius stared at his reflection in the mirror, Hermione coming up behind him.

"Look on the bright side, at least you'll know what you'll look like when you get old."

Sirius shook his head, the grey haired man in the mirror mimicking his movements, "Not me, I will never go grey, flour fights the exception."

Sirius turned and looked down at Hermione, "You are so beautiful," he murmured, stroking the side of her face.

"What, all covered in flour?"

Sirius shook his head, "The laughter in your eyes, it lights up your whole face. It reminds me of when you were pregnant."

Hermione's blush was hidden behind the flour on her cheeks as Sirius claimed her lips in a fiery kiss, both tasting the fine powder on each other.

Their clothes were removed slowly, Sirius lifting Hermione's shirt leisurely over her head, holding each others eyes for a moment before they were caught in a slow sensual kiss, both pouring every drop of love they could in the simple action.

Clothes aside they stepped under the steaming stream of water, colour coming back as the whiteness was washed away.

Hermione grinned into the kiss and positioned her mouth next to Sirius' ear, "Remember what happened last time we were in this situation?"

Sirius grinned, "Elizabeth," he murmured, moving his mouth down to her neck and concentrated his ministrations in one place, enticing a moan from the witch in his arms as she pressed herself as close to him as possible. Sirius hands trailed down Hermione's side and he lifted her up onto his hips and pushed her gently against the wall.

"I love you, Hermione," he murmured.

"I love you too, Sirius."

Sirius muttered the appropriate spell quietly before gently entering Hermione, earning himself a gasp as she arched against him and began to move in a familiar rhythm with the man she loved.

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An hour later Sirius and Hermione, showered and dressed entered the lounge and were greeted by knowing smirks around the room.

Taking a seat on the couch Sirius pulled Hermione down so she was curled into his side. Elizabeth was sitting unsupported in the middle of the room and seemed to be the sole entertainer of the group.

"So Moony, got yourself a house?" Sirius asked, grinning at his friend.

Harry's mouth dropped, "How'd you know?"

Sirius shrugged, "Well there isn't many things 'spare keys' will get you into."

Draco sniggered at Harry, "Your brain just works a step behind everyone else's Potter."

Harry chose to ignore the blonde and turned back to Sirius and Hermione, "Your turkey's cooked and sitting in the oven if you still want it."

Sirius looked at Hermione, "Maybe later, we were going to eat it before you lot arrived but we um, got sidetracked," Sirius eyes gazed around the room. "Why did you arrive so early anyway? We weren't expecting you for a few more hours, did Molly and Arthur throw you out?"

An uncomfortable silence filled the room and Hermione glanced suspiciously at the surrounding faces, "What happened?"

"Percy happened," Ginny answered simply.

"Right," Sirius said, grabbing a gift from under the tree, "I don't need to know anymore today, who's this for?" He asked reading the label, "Elizabeth," he grinned and joined his daughter on the floor, showing her how to open the brightly wrapped parcel.

It was Christmas, a time for friends and family, no worries about the worlds problems or what was about to shock the group in the coming months.

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	12. Have a Nice Day

**Disclaimer…Harry Potter and all the characters are copyright of J.K.Rowling**…

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**Chapter 11: Have a Nice Day**

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_Daily Prophet 15th January 2000_

_In a press conference yesterday the Minister for Magic, Robert Tomkinson stressed his growing concerns about the prophesized child that was revealed to the public last year. "It seems odd," the Minister declared, "that in the ten months of searching Ministry officials and Aurors have yet to find a single black haired blue eyed child."_

_Meanwhile the Daily Prophet has been inundated with letters from the wizarding public expressing their opinions on the matter. _

"_The parents of the child are being unreasonable," writes Mrs Rocksborrow of Sussex, "it's clear the Ministry wants to keep this child safe for its own benefit and the benefit of the wizarding community, I say stop being selfish and bring your child forward."_

_Others express their anger at the role the Ministry has taken in the matter. _

"_Prophecies are supposed to be private," writes an anonymous reader, "Firstly the Ministry has no right doing what they have done, secondly, I whole heartedly support the parents of this child; keep it safe, away from the Ministry who have greatly overstepped their bounds."_

Sirius put the paper back on the table and sat back in his chair, he was dressed in dark dress trousers, in a black shirt with grey pinstripes and presently waiting for Hermione to finish getting ready.

"Are you ready?"

Sirius turned to see Hermione walk into the room covering her dark blue knee length dress with a warm coat as her heels resounded against the stone floor.

Sirius nodded in affirmation as he, not for the first time, lost the ability of speech in the presence of his wife.

"Maybe we shouldn't go, I'm sure your parents will understand."

Hermione smiled sadly and knelt down next to Sirius' chair.

"We can't hide forever Sirius, I need to explain to my parents what's going on, it's too risky writing to them. Besides, they booked a table at a restaurant for us, it'll be nice to go out."

Sirius nodded as there was a knock at the door.

"That'll be Draco, I asked him to baby-sit."

Sirius grabbed Hermione's hand and grinned, "You asked Draco?"

Hermione nodded and Sirius grin grew.

"This'll be interesting, I asked Harry."

Hermione went to open the door and found two trainee Aurors in the midst of an argument.

"Look, Hermione asked _me _to baby-sit; you can just wander off home to Ginny."

"Sirius asked me, why don't _you_ go home and get your beauty sleep, Draco."

Hermione stood at the door listening to this for a good minute before either of the boys noticed her.

"You can both baby-sit, Elizabeth will probably be a handful tonight she slept most of the day."

Harry and Draco looked at each other before following Hermione into the room.

"Evening boys," Sirius greeted, as he came into the room carrying Elizabeth.

"Hey Sirius," Harry returned, while Draco just nodded in greeting.

"Ok," Hermione started, as she grabbed her purse, "Sirius just changed her so you may not have to worry about that, her dinner's in the fridge, try to get her to eat as much of the small jar as you can, heat it up first but test it before you feed it to her."

Harry and Draco nodded as Hermione followed her mental checklist.

"She should grow tired around nine or ten, if she's still awake after ten put her down anyway, we shouldn't be too late. Diapers are here," Hermione pointed to a bag on the table, "she's also crawling a lot now so just keep an eye on her, she can't get into the cupboards but she is beginning to climb."

Sirius moved towards Hermione handing Elizabeth off to Harry in the process.

"If she makes a mess give her a bath, and make sure you keep your wands out of reach."

Sirius grinned at the two boys who were listening to Hermione's every word, slowly he began to usher Hermione towards the door.

"If she plays up her favourite toy is the stuffed wolf, she usually calms down if you give her that."

By now Sirius had Hermione at the door and was slowly edging her out.

"And guys,"

Harry and Draco waited for Hermione to finish.

"No brooms."

The door closed with a gentle click and Harry and Draco looked at each other before glancing down at the black haired child in Harry's arms.

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The group of thirty or so Death Eaters had gathered and were presently discussing a new turn of events. There was no leader as such, they all came to decisions as a group, majority holding the upper hand, and until someone stepped forward or they were all caught it seemed like a good strategy.

"So it appears he's living here," A cloaked figure pointed to a point on a map in front of him, "He isn't always home, spends most of his time at Hogwarts or the Ministry, the witch may be a problem if she's there but a small group of five should be able to handle the matter."

The rest of the Death Eaters nodded and five hands rose as volunteers.

The next thing discussed was the new prophecy, the Ministry was helping greatly in revealing their information to the public, the Death Eaters new they still had a chance of finding the child and the Ministry seemed to be doing most of the work for them.

Little did they know they were about to get one step ahead of the Ministry that was so eagerly passing on information.

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Harry was sitting on the floor playing with Elizabeth while Draco moved over to the table, picked up the small jar of baby food and began to read the label.

'_Microwave for twenty seconds on high.'  
__Caution; may be hot'_

Harry glanced at the blonde and noted his puzzled expression, "Want to borrow my glasses?"

"Funny," Draco retorted, rolling his eyes. "Here," he said chucking the small glass jar at Harry who caught it deftly, "I'll fill her cup up with water."

"Yeah, I think they keep that in the taps, shouldn't be too hard to find."

Draco ignored the remark and went to fill Elizabeth's cup up with water before placing the lid on top.

Harry read the label on the jar and smirked knowingly before tapping it with his wand and muttering a heating charm, Elizabeth curiously watching his every move.

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Tonks stifled a yawn and glanced at the clock on the wall, one hour before she can get away from her desk, the office was deserted and she seemed to be the only Auror on the night shift. Her assignments had piled up as the Minister handed her team _all_ of the remaining Death Eater case files while almost every other team was out looking for the child in the prophecy. Tonks wasn't too sure why her team was the one to be singled out and not included but for once she wasn't complaining, besides Graham, who was on his way over to her desk, kept her filled in.

"Tonks," he greeted with a small smile, "How are you doing?"

"Fine. Anything yet?"

Graham shook his head, "Nothing, no black haired blue eyed children, _or_ leads."

Tonks nodded and a shadow of a smile graced her features.

"I did have one Ministry official ask some interesting questions though."

Tonks' smile vanished and she frowned up at Graham.

"Percy Weasley inquired if I knew Sirius Black or Hermione Granger..."

"Black," Tonks corrected automatically.

"…Black, seemed rather interested in their daughter."

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing, said I'd never met the pair or knew anything of their daughter, he said I should look into it."

"…and…"

"I said, 'young man, you are in no position to give me orders, I think I can run my own investigation'."

Tonks smirked, "I would have loved to see the look on his face after that."

Graham chuckled slightly before becoming serious again. "Look Tonks," he said lowering his voice, "You need to know she can't be hidden forever, I'll stall for as long as I can but I can promise anything."

Tonks looked away and remained silent.

Graham sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, "You'll be the first to know if we get that order."

Tonks didn't have to ask what order Graham was talking about and a small tear escaped down her cheek as Grahams retreating footsteps echoed through the empty room.

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Elizabeth was seated, albeit rather unhappily, in her highchair as Harry and Draco stood in front of her, Draco with her small spoon and jar of baby food in hand.

"Is it cool enough?" Harry asked, as Draco scooped a portion onto the spoon.

"How should I know?"

"Test it."

Draco just looked at Harry and raised an eyebrow, clearly saying _'uh…no'_

Harry rolled his eyes and dipped his little finger into the orange substance on the spoon, it was warm, not too hot not too cold, shrugging he stuck his finger in his mouth.

Draco stared at Harry and blinked before wiping the remainder of food on the spoon on the cloth, "We have no idea where that has been, do we Lizzie?"

Elizabeth grinned up at the blonde as he dipped the spoon back into her food, her grin disappeared as the spoon came nearer to her mouth where the food suddenly vanished.

"Um."

Draco looked at Harry who was staring wide eyed at the spoon, then back down to Elizabeth who appeared to have a satisfied expression on her face.

"Try again," Harry suggested.

Draco dipped the now empty spoon back into the food and went to feed it to Elizabeth, where, inches from her face, the food vanished into thin air.

Frowning, Draco dipped the spoon into the mixture again, "Distract her."

Harry bent down and picked up her stuffed wolf and began to wave it around in front of the black haired baby.

Determined, Draco attempted to get some food into Elizabeth's mouth. Happily distracted by her flying Moony Elizabeth didn't notice the food until the spoon was in her mouth.

Smiling, Draco pulled away the spoon and Elizabeth moved the food around in her mouth before swallowing it and looking up at Draco as if to ask why.

Fifteen minutes later and half the food on Harry, Draco and Elizabeth, the other half, hopefully, in Elizabeth and the trio were done for the evening with food.

"That," Harry started, "Was a mission and a half; I think she's going to be the death of us."

"Yeah, and that was only feeding her." Draco looked over at Harry, "You can clean her up now."

"What?"

"I managed to feed her."

"With my help."

"Yes, but I was the one that actually accomplished the task, therefore you can clean her up."

"And you can help."

Draco sighed and headed for the bathroom, "Fine."

Harry grinned and picked up Elizabeth, "Want a bath, huh? We can show Draco your bubble trick."

Five minutes later Elizabeth was sitting in the bath filled with bubbles as Harry and Draco crouched at the side with their sleeves rolled up.

Elizabeth then began her favourite pastime.

Splashing

The next thing Harry new, being closer to Elizabeth, he was feeling, and apparently looking like too if Draco's laughter had anything to do with it, very much like a drowned rat.

Harry grabbed a towel and wiped his glasses as Elizabeth continued to splash.

"Hey, the bubbles are green."

Harry looked back down at the bubbles which were now green and grinned at Elizabeth, "Well, at least you can recognize a Slytherin when you see one."

"You mean she's done this before?" Draco asked, eyebrows raised.

Harry nodded, "It was the first evidence of her magic. Not that any of us had any doubt."

Elizabeth giggled and began to splash again moving slowly down the bathtub resulting in two trainee Aurors looking like they'd paid the giant squid a visit.

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An hour later found both Harry and Draco on the floor, dry and proudly looking over the mini Quidditch pitch they had built from Elizabeth's building blocks while the tot occupied herself with her stuffed animals.

Growing bored and noting the great big towers of blocks just inviting her over, Elizabeth crawled over and before either wizard could stop her swung her small arms and knocked over half the tower.

Grinning, she looking up at a pair of green eyes and a pair of grey as they looked back down at her in shock. Giggling Elizabeth proceeded in the destruction of the rest of the boys' construction.

"I…I…did she just?" Harry stuttered.

"She did."

Harry frowned and screwed up his nose, "What's that smell?"

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"No way."

"Come on Malfoy."

"No."

"I am not doing it, I just bathed her."

"With _my_ help, there is no way I am doing it."

"Well I'm not so you don't have a choice."

"Hermione's your best friend Potter, and Sirius is your Godfather."

"So…"

"So, that means you can change her."

"No."

"There is no way I'm changing her, I don't know how."

"And you think I do?"

"You've been around her enough. Surely you've changed her once."

"No. Sirius or Hermione do it, sometimes Remus, Tonks or Ginny."

"We'll just get Lupin then, he can do it."

"Look outside, can you see the large glowing orb sitting there in the sky?"

"Tonks?"

"Working."

"Ginny?"

"Training."

"At night?"

"Yes Malfoy, believe it or not people do get hurt at night."

"You might just be paying Ginny a visit if you keep that tone up."

"I'm not changing her, you do it, and some of that privileged upbringing needs to be taken down a notch."

"What are you doing?"

"Putting my glasses on the coffee table what does it look like?"

"Why?"

"Because you are giving me a headache."

"It wouldn't be a problem if you just changed Elizabeth."

"Or you could."

"I don't know how."

"Neither do I."

"This is getting us nowhere, how about we both do it."

"Wow, Draco Malfoy actually compromising."

"Shut it Potter…...Uh, where's Elizabeth?"

"What!"

Harry reached for his glasses which had conveniently vanished from the table.

"Draco, where is she? I can't see a thing."

"Shit."

"Draco, find her, scratch that, find my glasses so I can help."

"Somehow I think Elizabeth is a tad more important than your glasses."

Draco was on the other side of the room and frantically searching under all of the chairs and desks, behind the doors, in Hermione and Sirius room under the bed, in the closet.

In the meantime a practically blind Harry searched for his glasses.

"Draco, come out here."

"I'm here."

"Shit."

"They don't train us in stealth for nothing."

"Just keep your eyes open…_Accio glasses._"

Draco spotted Harrys glasses come flying out from behind one of the floor length drapes before hitting Harry in the head when the Gryffindor star seeker didn't see them coming.

Chuckling Draco wandered over to the curtain and pulled it back revealing Elizabeth grinning up at him, reaching down the blonde picked her up.

"There you are, had us a little worried there, don't tell daddy," Draco whispered, "Or mummy," he added after a second thought.

Carrying her over to the changing table he shot Harry a glare, "You too boy wonder."

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Exhausted Harry and Draco slouched on the couch.

"The death of us, I swear." Draco muttered, looking down at Elizabeth who was falling asleep in his lap

"Make sure to pass on the message to Hermione and Sirius…I don't know how they do it."

"-oony."

Draco looked down at Elizabeth again and then at Harry.

Holding her arms out Elizabeth repeated her statement.

"-oony."

"Harry," Draco murmured, "Grab her wolf."

Harry reached down and passed Elizabeth her soft grey wolf who accepted it and snuggled back down into Draco's arms before slowly falling asleep.

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Grinning broadly at the gift in his hands Sirius and Hermione made their way through the Hogwarts corridors as the last straggles of students made their way back to their dorms before curfew.

"I can't believe my father gave you a stapler."

"Why not? He had two and besides, I'm already envisioning brilliant uses for it involving one of our favourite staff members."

"Sirius you can't…."

"Fifty points from Gryffindor."

Sirius frowned as he rounded the corner to see Snape standing in front of three first year Gryffindors, one who was on the floor and appeared to be in pain.

"But Professor, we were on our way back to the tower and Melanie tripped, I think she needs to go to the hospital wing," a brave young girl standing in front of the potions master spoke up.

"Its curfew, therefore points will be deducted."

Frowning Hermione stepped out and over to the group, crouching down next to Melanie.

"Now Snape, what exactly is the problem?" Sirius asked, walking up to the greasy haired wizard.

"Your students are out after curfew Black."

"Give them a few minutes to actually _get back _to the dorms before you start deducting points, better yet, perhaps you could help Melanie here to the hospital wing, clearly she needs it."

"You have no right to tell me how to do my job; these students need to be punished."

"Not by you, they are my students. You can scurry back down to the dungeons and patrol _your _corridors, not mine."

Snape glared at the Animagus before turning on his heel and leaving the hall with a billow of robes.

Sirius glanced down at the group as Hermione healed Melanie's ankle, and began to dish back the lost house points.

"Fifteen points for standing up for yourselves, ten for helping your friends, and add five for helping me have the pleasure of annoying Snape."

"Sirius!"

"What?" he asked, grinning and winking at the girls as they giggled and headed off to the common room.

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Hermione opened the door of their chambers quietly and slipped into the room, Sirius following behind her.

On the couch fast asleep was Draco with Elizabeth in his lap. Harry, glasses askew was on the settee in front of the fire.

Reaching down and plucking Elizabeth from Draco's arms, Hermione gently shook the sleeping blonde awake.

"Wha…?"

"Its ok Draco, you can stay here if you want, just not on the couch, there's a bed made up in the next chamber."

Still half asleep, Draco nodded and walked out into the hall.

"Harry, mate, wake up," Sirius prodded Harry and the messy haired wizards eyes shot open.

"I'm up, I'm up…..huh?" he asked, slightly confused looking up at Sirius.

"Go home, Ginny will be waiting."

Bleary eyed Harry made himself a portkey and mumbled his goodnights and something about '_never again'_

"Oh wait."

Sirius and Hermione looked up as Harry seemed to remember something.

"She said her first word."

"WHAT?" Sirius and Hermione exclaimed in unision.

"Shhh you'll wake her up," Harry reprimanded.

"What did she say?" Hermione asked, her brown eyes flashing excitedly.

"Moony."

The last thing Harry heard was Sirius' death threats against his best friend.

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Tonks opened her eyes, wondering what had woken her, Remus lay beside her exhausted, the full moon having set in the early hours of the morning.

A breeze fluttered through the open window and Tonks felt chilled to the bone.

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Harry opened his eyes, wondering what had woken him. Ginny lay beside him content and breathing deeply after a long night at work.

A light breeze fluttered through the open window and Harry had a feeling of dread that he hadn't felt in over a year.

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"Let's go."

Five cloaked figures made their way through the mist hovering above the ground towards the small cottage no longer bathed in the light of the moon, the sharp angles only just visible in the dark hours of the morning.

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	13. I'd Die for You

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

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**Chapter 12: I'd die for you**

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Harry made his way down the dark hallway, he'd left Ginny sleeping, not knowing if there was actually anything wrong. His wand out in front of him, unlit as he took the hallway by memory, his uncovered feet were soundless across the soft carpet as he passed Elizabeth's nursery.

Descending the stairs Harry felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck and continued, slowly coming to the base and heading to the left towards the front door.

Harry froze and became alert with the sound of heavy footsteps on the front porch, raising his wand higher he watched as the person on the other side tried the door.

Locked.

Harry smirked, he wasn't that stupid.

A bright light shone under the door for a moment as the lock clicked out of place, again the person on the other side attempted to open the door.

Locked.

Harry wasn't that stupid.

Muffled voices could be heard outside and Harry could hear footsteps make their way around the house as more attempts were made to unlock the door.

Harry knew whoever was trying to get in was determined to otherwise they would have knocked or left by now.

What he didn't know was_ who_ was trying to get in. The only ones who knew where he lived, where Sirius and Hermione's house was, was a select few, none of which would reveal the location.

Suddenly the door began to shake with soft thuds as the person on the other side began to physically force their way in.

Looking back over his shoulder in the direction of the back door, Harry decided the best position for him to be in incase of an attack was in the middle. Silently moving on his bare feet he made his way to the dining room which separated the kitchen and the back door from the lounge.

Standing in shadow, Harry waited.

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Harry flinched ten minutes later as the front door was blasted open.

Sirius was going to be pissed.

The good news was that the blast would have most likely woken Ginny, preparing her for the chance of an attack.

Looking out into the hall Harry aimed his wand at the four cloaked figures slowly making their way into the house.

Then his world went black.

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Harry didn't know how long he'd been out cold for. Voices echoed around him as the rope tying his hands burned into his skin behind his back as he tested the strength of the knots.

Cracking an emerald eye open Harry took in the scene around him.

Five Death Eaters were presently talking amongst themselves unaware that Harry had regained consciousness on the floor by the doorway into the kitchen. Ginny wasn't in the room and Harry couldn't decide whether this was a good thing or not.

"Harry…"

Harry almost jumped out of his skin with the soft voice next to his ear.

"Don't talk. I'm going to untie you."

Harry remained silent as an invisible Ginny began work on the knots binding his hands.

"Ah Potter…"

Ginny's hands froze, but Harry felt he rope loosen and slip free.

"…Glad to see you're awake, now we can have some fun."

Harry glared at the tallest Death Eater in the room, none were wearing their trademark masks and Harry recognised all five from posters displayed at the ministry.

"What do you want?" Harry growled out.

"Stupid stupid Potter," the only female Death Eater in the room shook her head, "You didn't think we'd just let you get away with killing the Dark Lord did you?"

"Well, yeah, I was kind of hoping for a little peace."

The next thing Harry knew he was flying across the room and into the bookshelf on the other side. Slumping to the floor, Harry groaned in pain.

"I think we overestimated you Potter, your nothing but a lucky little boy."

A heavy boot collided with Harry's stomach and he tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

Bracing himself for another blow Harry covered his head with his arms.

The surprised exclamations from the Death Eaters as bolts of red light shot out from the middle of nowhere prompted Harry to rise shakily to his feet.

Blood dripping from a split lip and a gash on his hairline Harry watched as the Death Eaters shot blindly at Ginny around the room.

One hit their target.

Harry heard the soft slump of a body falling to the ground as Ginny was hit by a bolt of red light.

Harry limped determinedly over to the next Death Eater who was still staring at the spot where Ginny had been. Pulling his fist back Harry hit the Death Eater squarely in the jaw sending him crumbling to the floor.

Leaping over the couch Harry spotted his wand on the small coffee table and set his sights on it as the remaining two Death Eaters, the woman and the tall male, shot bolts of light at the teen as he ran across the room.

Grabbing his wand and diving over the back of the sofa, Harry ducked a too-close-for-comfort green stream of light and grunted as he hit the floor.

"Oh, no, you are NOT shooting that green shit at me!" he mumbled as the couch shook and began to break apart with curses and hexes.

"_Ennervate_"

Harry poked his head around the side of the couch as one of the fallen Death Eaters was brought back to consciousness.

"Upstairs, you know what to do, we're leaving soon."

Harry stood and aimed at the closest cloaked figure who was then shot back through the bay windows and out into the black night glass shattering out onto the deck.

Turning around Harry faced the last Death Eater. Two were still on the ground, one now outside while the other had disappeared upstairs.

"You made a bad choice coming here," Harry stated as his hand shook with adrenaline.

"Quite contraire little Potter," the feminine voice of the witch in front of him was cold and harsh as she began to laugh. "You had some very interesting photos on your mantle piece."

Harry's blood ran cold as heavy black smoke began to fill the room, the distant crackle of flames could be heard down the hall.

"_Expelliarmus"_

Harry's bolt of blue light missed its target and hit the wall behind the woman.

Ducking Harry continued to shoot and dodge as the duel between the two began to tire him, already weak from the blow to the back of the head and the collision with the bookcase Harry's vision began to blur.

Off to the side the Death Eater who'd been sent upstairs glanced back in at the duel before heading out the front door, a photograph clutched in his hand as he reached the edge of the wards and apparated with a crack.

"Growing tired, Potter?"

Harry stumbled slightly over a piece of bookshelf on the floor.

Taking a deep breath Harry tried to focus on the blurry target in front of him, his muscles were aching and his eyes stinging from the black smoke as the house began to fall apart around them.

A loud cracking brought both sets of eyes to the ceiling as a large split appeared from the floor above.

Diving out of the way, both Harry and the Death Eater covered their heads as the nursery from the top floor fell into the lounge in a heap of yellow debris and flames. Harry's wand flying from his hand as he hit the floor painfully.

Harry slowly stood from his position, aware of the fleeing Death Eater, and looked around the room, the blood draining from his face as he took in the destruction.

Ginny.

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Remus woke in the early hours of the morning and noted the absence of a warm body lying next to him.

Sitting up and wincing slightly Remus looked around the dark room before getting up and heading downstairs, slipping on his dressing gown and slippers in the process.

Walking into the small lounge Remus spotted Tonks sitting on the window seat gazing out at the starlit sky.

Silently moving over to her, Remus slipped in behind Tonks and pulled her gently against his chest.

"Couldn't sleep?" He murmured in her ear.

Tonks shook her pink head and snuggled down into Remus' arms.

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"GINNY!" Harry called out desperately trying to make his way through the rubble to get to her, an almost impossible task as she was covered by his invisibility cloak.

"For the love of Merlin, be alright."

Harry began to pull back pieces of wood, ignoring the scorching pain as the smouldering wood burned his hands.

Tears streaked down his soot covered face in a mixture of panic and pain as the black smoke billowed like heavy blankets into the room.

Harry did a double take as he spotted a pale hand under a large beam of wood. His invisibility cloak had been burnt in places revealing parts of Ginny as she lay still.

"Ginny," Harry gasped out as he positioned himself to move the beam, his shoulder underneath, legs braced and ready to push.

Screaming in frustration Harry used all his remaining strength to lift the beam.

It didn't budge.

Harry tried once more before falling painfully to his knees and pulling the cloak away to reveal Ginny's face. She was on her back, her fiery red hair falling over her face.

Shakily Harry brushed her hair back.

"Ginny, wake up," he whispered desperately, looking around for his dropped wand.

"Ginny," Harry gently shook her shoulder but the redhead remained unconscious as the flames began to build up in the lounge.

Coughing back the smoke Harry got to his feet and shakily began to search for his wand.

Outside it began to rain.

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Tonks relaxed back against Remus as he drew lazy circles around her hand. They sat in a content silence as the sun slowly rose in the distance, a shower visible slightly to the east.

"How are you feeling?" Tonks asked quietly.

"A little sore, nothing unusual, if anything I'll be stiff from sitting down here all morning."

Tonks chuckled slightly, "Are you implying I'm fat?"

"No…"

Silence descended on the couple again for a few minutes.

"Do you want me to move?" Tonks asked quietly.

"No."

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Sirius was woken by a small hand grabbing his nose. Keeping his eyes closed Sirius decided to see what his daughter was up to.

The small hands moved from his nose to each of his cheeks, pinching softly before slapping numerous times.

"Dada"

Sirius' eyes flew open and he found himself staring at a pair of sparkling blue eyes.

"Hello Munchkin, say that again."

Elizabeth just giggled and grabbed Sirius ear and yanked.

"Ow, no sweetie, that's attached, Daddy needs that."

Glancing up Sirius noticed Hermione sitting on the bed beside him with a cup of tea smiling down at the pair.

"Did you hear what she said?" Sirius asked as Elizabeth crawled onto his chest.

"Yes I did, she was determined to wake you up." Hermione's chocolate eyes were full of amusement, shining in the morning sun.

Elizabeth's hands found their way back to Sirius' face and covered his mouth where Sirius proceeded to blow causing a raspberry sound against her small fingers.

Giggling Elizabeth pulled her hands away and bounced up and down on her father's chest before moving her hands slowly back to his mouth and shrieking when he repeated the previous action.

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Remus and Tonks had been sitting at the window seat together now for a good couple of hours and neither felt any inclination to move.

Reaching into his pocket of his robe Remus found the small object he was looking for, moving it around in his fingers he contemplated the situation. He hadn't planned on doing this today but decided now was as good of a time as any.

Pulling the object out of his pocket Remus held it up in front of Tonks' violet eyes where she stared at the simple gold band between his fingers as Remus rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Remus…" Tonks breathed.

"Nymph…" Remus started.

"Yes!"

"Let me finish."

"Sorry."

Remus chuckled as he gently slipped the ring over Tonks' finger, "Marry me?"

"Yes."

Tonks spun in Remus' arms and pressed her lips to his, cupping his face with her hands.

"I love you," she murmured against his lips.

"I love you too."

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Sirius watched Hermione swing a giggling Elizabeth in her arms as they made their way to the edge of Hogwarts grounds. Dumbledore had given them permission to spend the weekend at home and due to the fact that they'd decided to disconnect the floo they made their way down to the edge of the grounds before the threatening clouds began to drop their load.

"Usual place?" Sirius asked

Hermione nodded and secured Elizabeth in her arms before apparating with a crack.

Sirius grinned and followed ending up in front of Hermione who had an expression of horror on her face.

"Hermione?" Sirius asked, his grin fading as concern flooded his grey eyes.

"Harry," Hermione breathed.

Sirius spun around, his eyes widening as he took in the billowing cloud of smoke further down the street.

"GO GET REMUS!" Sirius yelled as he took off down the street towards the house, his boots splashing though puddles left by the morning rain.

Sirius skidded to a halt in front of the house, or what was left of it. Images of the night James and Lily were killed flooded his head and Sirius tried to call out to his Godson.

"Ha-arry!"

Leaping over the small fence Sirius ran up to the smouldering ruins, the smell of burnt flesh bringing bile to his mouth.

'_Merlin no'_

"Harry! Ginny!"

Sirius made his way swiftly but cautiously through what was once his house.

Sirius turned into the lounge, the first thing he noticed was the untouched rocking chair in the middle of the room surrounded by burnt furniture.

Sirius' gaze fell upon a lump on the floor and it took him a moment to recognize it for what it was.

This time Sirius was unable to stop himself and he ran outside next to the shed where the content of his breakfast was brought up again.

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"REMUS! TONKS!" Hermione called out as she ran up the path to their small cottage.

Remus was already at the door when Hermione reached the porch.

"Hermione? What happened?"

"Harry," Hermione gasped out, passing Elizabeth off to Tonks, "Take her to Dumbledore, meet us in the hospital wing." Hermione grabbed Remus' hand as Tonks went to floo back to Hogwarts.

"Hermione," Remus repeated, as he was dragged outside the wards, "What happened?"

Tears streaked Hermione's face as she answered, "I don't know."

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Sirius eyed the front door warily as he wandered back into the house. _'It wasn't Harry'_ he thought to himself.

"Harry?" Sirius called out again.

"Sirius?"

The voice was soft, barely audible but Sirius picked it up nonetheless. Using his wand Sirius cleared the area around where the sound had come from.

Harry, wand in hand, was sitting propped up against the beam that had trapped Ginny. The area around them was slightly scorched but not burnt like the rest.

"Merlin Harry," Sirius gasped as he knelt next to his godson.

"Ginny," Harry managed to rasp, "Get Ginny out."

Sirius nodded and gently moved Harry off the beam before pointing his wand at the large piece of wood.

"_Wingardium Leviosa"_ Sirius murmured, guiding the beam off an extremely pale Ginny.

Footsteps up the path indicated Hermione's return.

"Get Harry," Sirius ordered as he gently bundled Ginny in his arms.

Remus propped Harry up alongside him and waited for Sirius

"Oh my God," Hermione murmured, looking around, her eyes fixed on two bodies in the middle of the room.

"Hermione," Sirius murmured. "We need a portkey."

Hermione tore her eyes away and shakily looked around the room before heading for her rocking chair, Sirius gently laid Ginny on it before turning to Harry

"Harry, can you keep hold of the portkey?" he asked softly.

Harry cracked his eyes open, the dry blood around his face restricting his movements.

"Its ok mate, we'll help."

Sirius wrapped his hand around his godsons and placed it against the chair as Hermione murmured the spell, a few moments later the familiar tug of the portkey took them back to Hogwarts.

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	14. In These Arms

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter….**

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**Chapter 13: In These Arms**

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Hermione stood at the end of Harry's bed looking down at her unconscious best friend. His face was pale and gaunt aside from the black eyes and minor burns that also littered his body, he was going to be alright. His chest rose and fell slowly as the oxygen charm Madame Pomfrey had performed helped his scorched lungs take in air.

Hermione shuddered involuntarily as she stood alone with her arms crossed in front of her. Sirius, Remus and Tonks were with Dumbledore trying to piece together the night, though, Hermione pondered, they wouldn't get very far without Harry or Ginny.

Looking to her left a few meters away Hermione took in the small figure lying on the bed. Ginny's fiery red hair was spread out on the starch white pillow that mirrored the colour of her normally rosy cheeks. Madame Pomfrey was currently busying around the young Healer in training, trying to keep her breathing and her heart rate steady. The school nurse would be more than happy to send her off to St Mungos to get proper care but Dumbledore had said no and was planning to keep the entire ordeal quiet…hence the present discussions with Sirius, Remus and Tonks, which for once, Hermione was glad not to be a part of.

Switching her gaze back to her best friend Hermione's thought wandered back to her house… their home. The blackened shell, the choking smoke that still lingered in the air, the smell of the Death Eaters….the small once white cot that lay broken, out of place, in the middle of the living room.

Hermione fought back the tears at what could have been a tragic night had her and Sirius not been invited out by her parents, having initially planned to spend the entire weekend at home. As it was though it was just two of her best friends, one unconscious while the young woman whose life he'd saved, hung onto that last thread that kept her in this world.

"Stop it," came a soft voice from behind her.

Hermione turned to see Sirius walk into the room, his grey eyes concerned as he moved towards her and pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Stop what?" Hermione asked, as she allowed herself to be enveloped in her husband's arms.

"Thinking."

"I can't help it, what if…"

Sirius hand over her mouth stopped Hermione from finishing her sentence. Leading her over to the soft couch that had been positioned next to Harry's bed Sirius shook his head.

"Don't, what ifs don't help, believe me I know. What happened happened, Poppy said they should both be fine."

Hermione looked to Ginny, lying still on her bed. "But, look at her Sirius, she's barely with us."

Sirius' stormy eyes followed Hermione's and he took in the frail form over the other side of his godson, "Ginny's strong, she'll pull through."

Hermione soaked in the confidence in Sirius' voice and wished she could be as optimistic as he was.

"What about Arthur and Molly?" Hermione asked, settling back down into Sirius' side, not taking her eyes off Harry.

"Dumbledore's flooed, they're on their way."

Hermione allowed her eyes to fall shut before they flew open again.

"Where's Elizabeth?" She asked, sitting up slightly.

Sirius sent her a small smile. "It's ok, she's with Draco. He told me to tell you you owe him big time for babysitting two nights in a row."

Hermione settled back down once again and closed her eyes, "He doesn't mind, I think he's become rather fond of Elizabeth."

Sirius smiled as exhaustion overtook the woman in his arms, "I think your right love, I think your right."

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"Hermione…"

Hermione woke as someone gently shook her shoulder.

"Hmmm?" she murmured groggily opening her eyes to be greeted with an amber pair at eye level, "Remus?" she asked, before the previous days events came back to her.

Sitting up and waking Sirius in the process Hermione's eyes found Harry in the same position he was in when she'd dozed off.

"He hasn't changed," Remus said softly from in front of her, "Poppy says Ginny's improving slowly though, she isn't critical anymore."

Hermione felt Sirius run his hand comfortingly down her arm as he sat forward blinking away the nights sleep.

"If you're up to it we need to go back to your house and sort through some stuff. Tonks' team will turn up tomorrow on an anonymous tip about a possible muggle attack," Remus said, addressing the couple in front of him, "Anything personal that can be salvaged needs to be removed."

Hermione glanced at Sirius who met her eyes.

"I can go through it if you want," Remus offered.

"No," Hermione stated, turning back to her friend, "It's ok, we can do it. It would be nice for some help though."

Remus smiled slightly and nodded, standing from his crouched position, his joints clicking as in the process, reminding Hermione and Sirius that it had been the full moon just days before.

"How are you feeling Moony?" Sirius asked, getting to his feet and stretching.

Remus smiled slightly, "I'm fine Padfoot, thanks."

Sirius nodded, "Well," he started, "Might as well get this over and done with, you sure you want to come?" he asked Hermione.

Hermione nodded, "I'm just going to speak to Madame Pomfrey, let her know to contact us if there is any change."

Sirius watched Hermione wandered into the main portion of the hospital wing before turning to Remus, "Reality really hit me yesterday Remus."

Remus raised an eyebrow, "Surely the war already did that…"

Sirius shook his ebony head, "Not that, they found our house Remus…Death Eaters, if a scattering of Voldemorts minions can find us just think of what the ministry can do."

Remus then realized whom Sirius was actually talking about, "We at least have people on the inside at the ministry; we should have at least some form of warning if word gets out about Elizabeth."

Sirius eyes were more troubled than Remus and ever seen them before and the werewolf opened his mouth to continue but thought better of it when Hermione walked into the room.

"Ok," she said to the two wizards, "Let's go."

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Sirius, Hermione and Remus stood outside what was once Sirius and Hermione's home. Black, burnt wood covered the once comfortable cottage, the windows were all but completely gone, the rain that had fallen had lessened the damage but it was obvious the house could not be saved.

"Oh Sirius," Hermione breathed staring at the house where she had married the man beside her, the house that served as an escape from normal everyday life…their home.

Sirius slipped his hand into Hermione's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Come on," he murmured, leading the way to the house.

Remus lingered behind, deciding to start on the exterior, leaving Sirius and Hermione with some time alone.

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"Careful," Sirius warned as they bypassed the living room and made their way directly up the stairs.

Still clasping Sirius' hand Hermione followed silently her eyes dancing over framed pictures, barely recognizable, that she knew had to eventually come down and, unsalvageable, even with the best charm work, would have to be discarded.

Sirius led Hermione past the nursery which was now in the living room, a gaping hole having swallowed up their daughter's room, and into their bedroom. The pair stood in the doorway and looked around, so many memories made in a now unrecognizable environment. The large four poster bed was no longer standing, the legs on the left side having collapsed, the soft white drapes were completely gone…almost nothing was left.

A small sob escaped Hermione's lips and Sirius pulled her into his arms as she began to cry freely into his chest.

Sirius stroked his hands through Hermione's long curls comforting her, "It's just a house," he murmured, knowing full well it was more than that.

"But…but we've lost so much we can't replace."

"I know," Sirius murmured, as Hermione's tears subsided slightly, "But it could have been worse…it could have very easily been worse."

Hermione sighed against Sirius' chest, "I know…it's just so hard."

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Remus wandered over to the small shed beside the house and muttered and unlocking charm before pulling the door open and allowing himself a much needed grin as the sunlight streamed in to the small room illuminating the contents.

"Well Padfoot, you'll be happy about this."

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Hermione pulled down her wizarding books off the bookshelf and deposited most of them into the large box she had transfigured and marked as 'rubbish'. Lying on the other side of her was a box marked 'keep'. In it lay one item, her beloved first edition _Hogwarts: A History_ having been given to her with all the necessary preservation charms including fireproofing.

Sirius was over next to the large closet, depositing raggedy remains of robes into a similar box to Hermione's and leaving the assortment of muggle clothes where they were. Unlike Hermione, Sirius' 'keep' box still lay empty.

Pulling down a pair of unrecognizable dress robes, Sirius gasped and stared at what was in front of him.

"Sweetheart, come over here for a second will you," he called out to Hermione across the room.

Standing from her crouched position Hermione cocked her head and wandered over to where Sirius was standing.

"What is it?"

"Look."

Sirius gestured into the closet and Hermione stepped around him, gasping in the same fashion that he had.

Hanging in front of her was her wedding dress as perfect as it was on her wedding day. Reaching out and sliding her hand down the soft white silk Hermione felt tears spring to her eyes again as she gently lifted the dress off the rack and neatly folded it before putting it in the 'keep' box.

Sirius grinned at Hermione when she stood back up, "See, we didn't lose everything," he glanced over at Hermione's box. "Did you get anything else?"

Hermione smiled, "My _Hogwarts: A History_"

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When Sirius and Hermione had finished upstairs all of the 'keep' items were now contained in just a single box, including Harry's Firebolt which rested on top. Four boxes were filled with unsalvageable wizarding material, the muggle items remaining where they were.

Downstairs Remus was in the living room clearing another bookshelf of wizarding material. The stench of the bodies that lay in there were charmed with a temporary anti-smell repellant and had been covered while the trio worked around them.

Remus lifted up a photo album and brushed the soot off the top before gently opening it, its contents falling out in a pile of ashes at his feet.

Looking up the amber eyed wizard noticed both Sirius and Hermione staring at the object in his hands.

"Which one was it?" Remus asked quietly, knowing he had copies of at least their wedding day and ones just after Elizabeth was born.

"Hermione's pregnant album," Sirius murmured, "All the ones I took before Elizabeth was born."

"Do you have copies?" Remus asked, placing the album in the box with the rest of the rubbish, Hermione's eyes following its descent.

"Some," Sirius said, turning away trying to hide the break in his voice, "Not many though."

Silence descended the room and the group worked in silence until all traces of the wizarding world, apart from the dead wizards lying in the middle of the floor, was gone from the house.

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"It was in the shed."

Sirius barley heard Remus as they exited the house and noticed the gleaming motorcycle on the front lawn.

"I'd forgotten about it," Sirius replied, a grin forming on his face as Hermione smiled next to him, glad Sirius was able to salvage something as well. "I'll take it back to Hogwarts," he turned to Hermione, "Want to come for a ride?"

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Remus stepped into the hospital wing after having dropped off the box of salvageable belongings in Sirius and Hermione's room.

Looking around him Remus was greeted by the sight of numerous heads of red hair as Ginny's remaining family members gathered in the private room off the hospital wing.

Looking over to the side Remus spotted Tonks with Elizabeth and headed towards her.

"You know I usually don't mind your hair colours, but mustard Tonks?"

Tonks looked up shocked as Remus approached, her spare hand going to her head.

"Mustard? Stop playing with me Remus, it should be pink."

"Afraid not," Remus replied, taking Elizabeth from her arms and allowing the metamorphmagus to conjure a mirror.

Tonks frowned at her reflection and changed her hair back to its vivid pink with a satisfied smirk.

"How are they doing?" Remus asked, glancing over at the beds.

"Harry woke up for a few minutes about an hour ago, asked how Ginny was but fell unconscious again before he heard the answer." Tonks turned to look at Ginny, "Ginny's improving fast, Madame Pomfrey was surprised but she should be ok, we just don't know when she'll wake up," Tonks paused and turned to Remus who still held Elizabeth in his arms, "How'd it go at the house?"

Remus grimaced, "Not good, Sirius and Hermione managed to save a box of belongings including Hermione's wedding dress, but almost everything else was destroyed, they lost a lot Tonks, stuff that can't be replaced."

"Why cant we just have a little peace?...Where are they by the way?" Tonks asked, looking at the door expecting the couple to walk in.

Remus glanced back down at the witch beside him, deciding not to mention the fact that her hair was now a slime green colour, "They're bringing Sirius' bike to store here."

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Sirius let the motor of his bike die down and waited for Hermione to dismount before swinging his leg over and leaving his bike in one of the un-used garden sheds.

The couple walked in silence, hand in hand, around the edge of the castle towards the Entrance Hall.

"Sirius, did you hear that?" Hermione asked, coming to a stop.

"Hear what?" Sirius asked, looking around, his hand going instinctively for his wand.

A small sob sounded from behind one of the large stone pillars in the small courtyard.

"I heard that one," Sirius stated moving off in the direction of the sound.

Sirius and Hermione moved around the pillar and was greeted by a small bundle of black, red and gold robes. The young students knees were pulled up and her head was buried in her arms as they trembled.

Sirius crouched down beside the figure and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Hey…"

The student's head shot up and she jumped as Sirius and Hermione looked at her in concern.

"Melanie?" Hermione asked, joining Sirius beside the young witch who'd sprained her ankle in the corridor two nights ago. "What's the matter?"

Red eyed and blotchy the first year shook her head, "It's nothing."

Sirius frowned slightly, "You can't be crying over nothing, what has got you so upset?" he asked growing concerned about the welfare of one of his students.

"I…I…its just…I don't think I'm in the right house," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes again

"What?" Sirius asked, slightly shocked, "Do you not like it in Gryffindor?"

"NO! I love it in Gryffindor…its just…aren't Gryffindors supposed to be brave?"

Sirius shared a glance with Hermione who was now on the other side of the first year.

"Why do you not think you're brave?" Hermione asked, gently stroking Melanie's straight brown hair.

"I had a detention and I didn't go to it."

Sirius frowned again, "That doesn't mean you're not brave," he paused and sent Melanie a wink, "It means you're a little rebel."

"Sirius," Hermione admonished.

Melanie looked between the two, "Its not that I wanted to rebel, I was too scared to go."

"To detention?" Sirius asked, growing more confused, "Its not that bad, at least they don't hang you up by your ankles in the dungeons anymore."

"Sirius!" Hermione reprimanded again when Melanie cast a fearful look at her with the mention of the dungeons, "Why were you afraid of detention Melanie, who gave it to you?"

"Professor Snape," the small witch answered looking down at her hands, "I accidentally spilt my potion in class in our first practical and he yelled at me, said I was a stupid clumsy muggleborn and had to come to detention today to fix my clumsyness…"

Sirius stared down at Melanie in shock as Hermione pulled the young girl closer. He met Hermione's eyes and knew she was thinking the same thing, why give a detention for an accident like that?

"…a-and that's why I don't think I should be in Gryffindor, I'm too scared to go to a detention."

Sirius sent Melanie a smile, "That's ok, I'm scared to be in a room with Snape alone too, his greasyness might be contagious," Sirius' grin grew when Melanie let out a small laugh in the midst of her small sobs.

"Hey," Hermione started, "Have you heard of Neville Longbottom?" she asked quietly to the girl in her arms.

Melanie nodded, "I read about him when I first got my Hogwarts letter, and his name is in the Entrance Hall. He fought along side Harry Potter in the war."

Hermione nodded, "Did you know he was a Gryffindor?"

"Yes, all the older students that remember him said he was brave," Melanie looked back down at her lap, "Like what Gryffindors are supposed to be like."

Hermione laughed, "Well, he was one of my closest friends and do you know what his biggest fear was when he first started Hogwarts?"

Melanie shook her head.

"Professor Snape," Hermione answered.

Melanie looked up at Hermione then to Sirius, "Really?" she asked, "Neville Longbottom was scared of a Professor?"

"Sure was," Sirius answered, remembering Remus' tale of Neville's boggart, "But he found his bravery, the Sorting Hat knows what its doing. You're very brave Melanie, you just have to find it."

"How?"

"Don't let Snape's remarks get to you. He's a sour old man whom no-one loves."

"Sirius!"

"What?"

Melanie looked at Sirius, "Didn't you go to school with him?"

"Yes, why?"

Melanie grinned, "You just called him old." She answered before blushing, realising she'd just insulted her Professor.

Hermione however burst out laughing and stood, helping Melanie up and ignoring Sirius affronted look at just being called old.

Heading back to the castle Hermione turned to Melanie who was walking between her and Sirius, "So you read all about Harry Potter before you came here?"

Melanie nodded, "I wanted to know as much as I could about magic before I started, and it seemed like he was pretty important, it wasn't till I'd read about him that I realised he was like a superhero."

Hermione grinned and Sirius chuckled as Melanie continued to talk, revealing herself to be quite the jabber box when she wanted to be.

"…all the older students said he was at the castle a lot before I started because he was dating Ginny Weasley, but I haven't seen him yet. I guess he doesn't come now that Ginny isn't here."

Sirius glanced at Hermione, "You know she does have a valid point, Harry doesn't come to visit as often as he used to."

"That's probably because of his training" Hermione answered, rolling her eyes at Sirius' put out look.

"You know Harry Potter?" Melanie asked in awe.

"Sure, he's my best friend, and Professor Blacks Godson."

"Really?" Melanie seemed to think to herself for a moment, "Hermione…Hermione Granger? Harry Potter's best friend?"

Hermione nodded making the young witch more confused.

"But…the books said you went to school with him…you're like…married and have a baby."

"That," Sirius answered, as they approached the doors, "Is a very long story, perhaps one for another time."

Melanie looked slightly disappointed but nodded.

"For now, you can go back to the tower if you want, I'll talk to Professor Snape."

"Thank you Professor Black," Melanie smiled, before turning and walking briskly off.

"And Melanie..."

The young witch turned back around.

"…I'll see if Harry will visit sometime."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes growing wide.

"Promise, he's a little busy at the moment but I'll let him know."

"Thank you Professor Black," she said, beaming and waving goodbye before turning down the hall.

"I'm going to kill Snape," Sirius growled, as he and Hermione made their way to the hospital wing.

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The first thing Sirius noticed when he walked into the private room was Tonks' hair, currently flashing between mustard and slime green, the others in the room attempting to hide their amusement as the Auror remained oblivious to her wild hair.

The first thing Hermione noticed when she walked into the room was the object on Tonks' finger.

Grinning she bounced excitedly over to Tonks and wrapped her arms around her friend in a hug. "Congratulations," she exclaimed not noticing the confused looks she was getting from the rest of the room.

Walking over to Sirius, Bill sent Hermione a weird look, "I think your wife has lost it mate."

Sirius watched Hermione and Tonks with a bemused expression as they both started to talk rapidly, their hands moving in quick succession, "I think you may be right about that." He turned to Remus, who was sitting beside Harry's bed with Elizabeth playing at his feet, "Hey Moony, our woman have gone nutters."

Remus chuckled, "No Padfoot, Hermione's just very observant."

"WHAT?" Tonks' exclamation brought the rooms attention back to the two witches, Tonks was standing with her hands on her head, glaring at the rest of the room, Remus in particular. "Why didn't you say anything?" she said, panically attempting to keep her hair a nice vibrant colour.

"Try morphing you natural look," Hermione suggested after unsuccessful attempts at pink, blue and orange.

Tonks scrunched up her face and long black hair cascaded down her back. Cracking open her violet eyes she raised an eyebrow at Hermione who nodded.

"It's not changing."

"Good."

With that Tonks spun on her heel and strode over to Remus and whacked him upside the head.

"Ow Tonks! There's a room full of Weasley's who didn't say anything."

"Yes but they aren't my fiancé are they?" she retorted, whacking him across the head again.

"Fiancé?"

The room, shocked at Tonks' statement were even more shocked at who had spoken.

"HARRY!"

"MOONY!"

Remus grinned sheepishly at his best friend as everyone else gathered around Harry's bed.

"Ginny?" he rasped out quietly.

"She'll be ok Harry," Molly answered, "She's still unconscious but Madame Pomfrey said she's doing well."

Harry nodded, closing his bruised eyes again, "Sirius? Hermione?"

"We're here mate," Sirius answered as Madame Pomfrey bustled in to check on her patient.

"Elizabeth," Harry murmured

Madame Pomfrey turned to the group, "Space, now," she ordered.

Everyone bar Sirius and Hermione stepped back, the couple earning a glare from the school nurse.

"Harry…what about Elizabeth?" Hermione asked, glancing at her daughter presently in Remus' arms.

"Please, Sirius, Hermione, he needs air, step back."

Remus gently pulled Hermione back but left Sirius beside Harry's bed.

"Harry mate, what about Elizabeth?"

"They know."

Hermione's eyes widened and she scooped her daughter up into her arms as Sirius paled and stared down into his Godsons green eyes that were filled with guilt.

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**IMPORTANT: It's been suggested to me a few times now to just use a spell to change Elizabeth's eye colour….this would be the easy way out…so it cant be done, otherwise I would have no plot as most of it is based on her appearance…and I want a plot…its kinda useful…..;)…**


	15. Bad Medicine

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter…or Sirius Black_…:sigh:…_or Remus Lupin…:_:sob:_**

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**Chapter 14: Bad Medicine **

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Sirius stifled a yawn as he and Remus made their way from their Monday lessons to the hospital wing. He and Hermione had very little sleep the night before, both staying awake watching Elizabeth sleep.

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me Remus, it's not some little thing you forget."

Remus rolled his eyes, Sirius was insistent at reminding him every few minutes that Remus hadn't informed him of his engagement when they'd spent the whole previous day together.

"I already told you Sirius, things kind of got a little hectic, it just slipped my mind."

Turning the corner and passing the passage way to the dungeons Sirius opened his mouth to argue back.

"…Professor Black!"

Startled, Sirius turned to see two young Gryffindor witches running up the stairs from the dungeons.

Sirius glanced at Remus and the pair made their way to the top of the stairs to meet the frantic girls.

"What's the matter?" Sirius asked, frowning down at the two who were trying to catch their breath.

"Professor Snape…Melanie…"

Sirius took off down the stairs before they could finish, his black robes flowing out behind him, Remus, curiously following.

"Sirius…" he called, trying to catch up, "What…?"

Sirius rounded the corner at the base of the stairs to be confronted with a growing crowd of students gathering outside the potions class, voices coming from within.

"…DON'T LIE TO ME YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE…"

Sirius, grey eyes blazing, pulled the door open to find Snape, face red from yelling, towering over a terrified Melanie.

"SNAPE!" Sirius shouted, "DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO A STUDENT LIKE THAT!"

"This has nothing to do with you Black," Snape snapped, turning on the Animagus, "Get out of my class."

"I don't think so," Sirius snapped back pulling Melanie to her feet and tucking her in behind him, "Why on Earth do you have a first year in your class, alone and insulting her!"

"I deserve a little more respect than some little Gryffindor lying to me!"

Sirius turned to Melanie and his face fell…it was his fault.

Kneeling down beside her Sirius attempted to meet her eyes which she refused to comply to.

"I'm sorry Melanie. I didn't get a chance…"

Sirius' voice trailed off as her hazel eyes met his. They were full of hurt that hit Sirius hard.

Standing back up Sirius turned back to his childhood enemy, "Is this about Miss Epps detention?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

Snape nodded, "She didn't turn up, said she was with you, I for one knew exactly where you were yesterday, and it wasn't with one of your students."

Sirius shook his head, "For your information both Hermione and I were with Miss Epps yesterday, I was going to inform you but didn't get the chance."

"No I guess you wouldn't," Snape sneered, "Too busy looking after the family you're failing miserably at protecting _and_ ending up failing on one of your muggleborn students, really Black, you're not doing very well at the moment are you?"

Sirius' glare hardened at the insults, both Professors unaware of the crowd looking through the open door, Remus, now crouching next to Melanie trying to calm the child, was shocked that Sirius didn't thump the Potions Master.

"What is your problem Snape? Do you get off insulting others? It's a childhood rivalry, grow up already, don't punish my family, or students, for what I did to you at school."

"You're one to talk, do I have to ask who used some sort of muggle device to bind all my parchment together?...It may have been rivalry at school Black but its not that easy to forgive and forget."

Sirius shook his head, "Not me, when have I, in the last few days, had a chance to do something like that? I've been, as you so elegantly put it, failing miserably at protecting my family…and on the side of forgiving and forgetting, have you failed to notice the friendship that's built between Harry and Draco?"

Snape chose to ignore the last remark, "You're a thorn in my side Black, always have been, always will be, and that Godson of yours is no different"

"That Godson of mine is in the hospital wing right now! That Godson of mine has never done anything to you to deserve your foul treatment of him, you're pathetic!"

"Is it pathetic to hold something against the boy whose father practically tortured me at school?"

"Severus!" Remus interrupted, "Don't go there."

"Don't go where Lupin? James Potter made my life miserable at school, I'm entitled to hold a grudge."

"Not against Harry," Sirius growled, getting frustrated and wondering vaguely why the conversation had taken this turn.

Snape smirked. "I just returned what his father did to me."

Sirius had Snape's robes bunched in his fists in a flash, his voice was low and menacing, "You ruined Harry's life when he was one, you son of a bitch, and you know it. If I hear you're treating my students like this again Merlin help me if I can't stop my actions…"

With the threat hanging in the air Sirius released the Potions Master and slipped his hand round Melanie's, leading her out of the room past the shocked crowd gathered outside.

Remus frowned in confusion, processing Sirius' words before turning his amber eyes on Snape. "It was you," he stated quietly, "You told Voldemort?"

Snape glared at the werewolf, "Get out of my class"

Remus glared back, his amber eyes shocking Snape slightly, before he swept out of the class after Sirius, the crowd already starting to dissipate.

"Sirius!" Remus called, trying to catch up

"In a minute Remus," Sirius answered quietly, leading Melanie over to her friends.

Crouching back down beside her Sirius sent her an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry I didn't tell Snape Melanie, the weekend wasn't the best."

"That's ok Professor," she said before frowning slightly, "Was it because there's something wrong with Harry Potter?" she asked, remembering Sirius mentioning he was his Godson.

Sirius nodded, "Yeah it was, and when he's all better I'll bring you to meet him," Sirius' eyes flickered over to her friends, "Jessica and Samantha can come too."

"Is he going to be ok?" Jessica asked, obviously worried about the trios 'superhero'.

"He'll be fine, and let me know if Snape remains the pompous ass he is ok?"

The three girls nodded before heading back up the stairs away from the dungeons.

Sirius stood and turned to Remus, the apologetic look still in his grey eyes, "I'm sorry Remus, I should have told you."

Remus nodded, "Yes, you should have. I understand now why you hate him so much, does Harry know?"

Sirius nodded, "Dumbledore told him in his sixth year, and then Harry told me, I should have told you too…and Hermione…I just…"

Sirius frowned unable to come up with a valid reason for not telling his friend the truth.

"Its ok Sirius, I'm not going to hold it against you, but I think Snape might, especially after that little incident, I don't think he's going to let that one go that easily."

Sirius shrugged as they made their way towards their original destination, "We've argued before."

"Yes but not in front of a crowd of students, and especially not in front of a crowd of students who witnessed you win the argument _and_ threaten their Potions Professor."

"Oh."

"Yes 'oh'."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A week later a subdued group sat in the hospital wing, Fred had returned to his shop on Diagon Alley along with Bill who'd been helping out, both ready to return at a moments notice.

Dumbledore had given Molly and Arthur a room until Ginny had woken, though most of their time was spent with their daughter, both now sitting beside her bed, their faces draw with worry and lines that portrayed the last few years.

Tonks sat on one of the long couches that had been placed in the room, her long black hair cascading around her shoulders, her head drooping as a week of investigation and paperwork involving three dead Death Eaters caught up with her. Remus was no where in sight, having promised his fiancée he'd pull out some books regarding her morphing as Madame Pomfrey, between Ginny, the recovering Harry and the students had little time to deal with the colour of Tonks' hair.

Sirius and Hermione sat on the couch beside the one Tonks was stretched out on, both their eyes centered on Elizabeth who was on Harry's bed attempting to reach his glasses before she was subsequently tickled by the messy haired wizard, the ticklish trait of Hermione's obviously having been passed onto her daughter, the giggles of the child penetrating the silence of the room.

Neither Sirius nor Hermione had received much sleep in the past week, between Sirius' classes, visiting Harry and Ginny and their constant vigilance of Elizabeth sleep seemed to evade the pair.

On the bed next to Harry's Ginny lay with no sign of her coma lifting, Madame Pomfrey had healed her broken bones and other injuries, the blow to her head obviously taking longer to heal.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Are you crazy? We can't possibly get into Hogwarts!"

A photo of Hermione, Sirius and Elizabeth was slapped down onto the small table surrounded by Death Eaters.

"But we need that child."

"That child is in one, if not _the,_ most protected buildings in the wizarding world Nelson, there is no way with our dwindling numbers we can get in there."

The woman who had spoken was presently nursing some minor burns from her encounter with Harry Potter.

"The blood traitor and his family can't stay in the castle their whole lives, they'll leave eventually," Nelson, a tall, dark haired Death Eater with elegant features replied.

"Black won't risk it,"

Fifteen Death Eaters around the table, all that remained of Voldemorts followers, nodded in agreement.

"She has a point Nelson."

"A point? Helena here couldn't even get rid of Potter for us."

"You try taking on the one who defeated the Dark Lord," Helena snapped back, "Or do you not want to risk your pretty face?"

"Do you even realize what that child will become if we take her?" Nelson asked addressing the group, "_She_ will be the next Dark Lord. She will finish what Voldemort started."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_Late February _

Tonks sat at her desk staring, for what seemed like the thousandth time at the newspaper clipping on the wall.

_Born to the two of time stolen an infant of black and blue  
__Unknown, Dark or Light, a fresh mould to hew  
__Vigilance in the wind as the sky begins to once more darken  
__A new peril in the air should this infant be taken_

"It's not going to disappear if you keep staring at it."

Tonks turned in her chair to see Graham standing beside her.

"Well done the other week on those Death Eaters."

Tonks shrugged, not really wanting to be reminded about the three week coma Ginny was in, "it was an anonymous tip, no big deal."

Graham nodded, "What's with the hair?" he asked

Tonks' hand went to her black locks, "I don't know, it won't stay the colour I want it to, so I've resorted to this."

Graham perched himself on the edge of his desk, "What colour does it go?"

Tonks glanced at Graham suspiciously, "Why do you want to know, I'm not going to give you something to joke about."

Graham grinned, "My great aunt was a metamorphose, used to tell us heaps of stories."

Tonks still stared suspiciously, "What makes you, a non-metamorphmagus, think that you know more than me?"

Graham shrugged, "Just try me…what colour does your hair go."

After a slight pause Tonks answered. "Mustard and a horrible green colour."

Graham stood and grinned, "I think you need to talk to Remus, and then insist Madame Pomfrey do an exam."

"Why?" Tonks asked the retreating Graham, "Graham Tobias Sinclair, get back here and tell me why!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**Excuse the rant…I'm tired and stressed and just found a vent…I don't usually rant like this but everyone has their off days…**

**Vegetatakingkadoolde:** If you're still reading this after your review take this into consideration: there is a novel length time turner fic that precedes this called Bed of Roses, ergo Sirius is not pedophilic! (although I don't think there is anything wrong with present day non-time turner Sirius/Hermione fics)…and nt?...do you mean Tonks?...or was that a typo?...sorry im a little confused…especially because in my story Tonks is with Remus and Ron is dead….(re: Bed of Roses)…And because its my opinion…what_ I_ like…I don't think I really should have to rethink some of the couples just because others do not like them!…if you don't like it…don't read it….simple!...did you even read it or did you just read the summary and decide to review?...because if you read it you would have realized there was a prequel…in fact it says that in the _summary_!

**n/a:** Re above!

**End rant**


	16. Bounce

**Disclaimer: If I did own Harry Potter book five would not have ended the way it did :P**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 15: Bounce**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

_The Daily Prophet, 2nd March 2000._

_**Order of Merlin up for grabs!**_

_In an abrupt press conference last night the Minister for Magic, Robert Tomkinson announced the Ministry's frustration at the ice cold case of the Prophesised Child, "I am just failing to understand," stated the Minister, "why no one has come forward, clearly keeping this child safe is the priority of the Ministry." He then furthered his conference, clearly shocking all those that were present, by announcing the possibility of an Order of Merlin commendation for anyone who passes accurate information onto the Ministry that leads to the location of the black haired blue eyed child… letters to the editor concerning the prophecy on page five…_

Harry, sitting on the long chair next to Ginny's bed, frowned down at the paper as Sirius and Hermione walked into the room with Elizabeth.

"Have you seen this?" he asked, waving the paper around.

"Good morning to you too," Hermione replied handing Elizabeth over to the green eyed youth as she stretched out to him. "And no, not today. How's Ginny?"

Harry smiled as Sirius and Hermione took seats beside him, "She woke up for an hour a couple hours ago, then fell back to sleep."

Sirius grinned, "See I told you she'd pull through."

Three days previous, after being in a coma for a month and a half, Ginny had woken up. Still being affected by, as Draco put it, having a nursery fall on your head, she was only able to remain conscious for small amounts of time, sleeping soundly for longer periods.

"Good Morning everyone," the three on the sofa turned to see Tonks, her black hair still cascading down her back, bounce into the room, Remus stepping in behind her with a blue box wrapped in a bright lilac bow in his hands. "How's my little birthday girl?"

Elizabeth grinned and giggled as her godmother approached her and began to bounce in Harry's lap, "Ongs"

Tonks grinned at Hermione and Sirius, "She's not going to call me that forever right?"

"I don't know, Ongs would be a cool nickname."

Tonks turned to glare at the newest arrival, "Only a Weasley twin would say something like that."

The fact that Fred's grin didn't waver was proof of his everlasting humor and acceptance of the loss of George.

"What's everyone standing around for, we have a party to get started," he grinned and turned to Elizabeth. "After all its not everyday you turn one."

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

The black robed figure walked briskly through the ministry, people weaving around them as their path refused to waver for anyone.

Reaching a large pair of oak doors the figure pushed them open and stepped up to the secretary at the large desk.

"Can I help you?" The blonde witch asked, looking up from the piece of parchment she was writing on.

"I'm here to see the Minister."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but I think he would want to see me…"

The witch raised an elegant eyebrow in question.

"…it's to do with the Prophecy."

The figure smirked as the witch retreated hastily to the smaller doors at the other end of the room.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

At midday the small group of eleven sat in Ginny's room, Harry, wearing a pirate hat Fred had handed him, was sitting on the end of her bed, quietly conversing with the witch who was smiling tiredly at the scene around her.

Bill and Fred, the latter decked out in a clown costume, complete with rainbow suspenders, wig, and bright red nose, were currently entertaining the birthday girl with wizarding balloon animals, which, as it turned out were extremely realistic, at the moment Elizabeth had hold of the tail of a bright blue barking dog.

Molly busied herself at the small table, perfecting Elizabeth's birthday cake which she had offered to make.

Arthur, Remus and Tonks were sitting on one of the sofas. Tonks looked rather nervous after Madame Pomfrey had come in to announce she could do a full exam later on in the afternoon, while Remus and Arthur discussed muggle kitchen appliances and their uses.

Sirius and Hermione were both on the floor with their daughter, both wearing bright grins as Elizabeth, wearing a soft blue dress to which Fred had added copious amounts of glitter, giggled and waved her small hands around in excitement.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Graham looked up from his desk as a rather official looking official dressed in navy robes made his way hastily towards him.

"Auror Sinclair?" he asked, when he got to Grahams desk.

"Yes…"

"Riegel Hartlem, Minister of Magic's office," Riegel stated. "The Minister requests you in his office immediately."

"And he couldn't send a memo?" Graham asked, slightly skeptically.

Riegels expression hardened.

"Auror Sinclair, you have been ordered…"

"Alright alright," Graham started, hastily holding out his hands and getting to his feet, "I'm coming…"

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Fred, all decked out in his clown costume looked around the room, he'd run out of balloons and decided to find something else to entertain Elizabeth with.

Sirius was now standing next to Remus and Arthur, though his eyes gave away the fact that he wasn't paying much attention to the other two wizards.

His grey gaze had settled on Hermione, who was on the floor with Elizabeth as she entertained herself with some silver and gold building blocks. The expression on Hermione's face was enough to ease the unsettling feeling in Sirius' stomach. It had been a while since he'd seen his wife's face so calm and relaxed, in fact since the attack on their home Sirius hadn't seen her smile one of her truly magnificent smiles. As his gaze remained on his family Hermione glanced up and caught his eyes, and her face broke into the smile, Sirius barely moments before, had been thinking about.

Sirius moved from his position and sat down on the floor next to Hermione, Elizabeth looked up from what she was doing and grinned up at her dad, giggling before her attention went back to her building blocks.

Sirius positioned himself slightly behind Hermione and she leant back into him as he stroked her hair away from one shoulder so he could rest his chin there without being suffocated by curls.

"She's having fun," Sirius commented lightly in Hermione's ear.

"I'm having fun," Hermione replied, "It's days like this that make me believe we'll get through all of this."

Sirius silently agreed but didn't voice it, instead choosing to continue to watch Elizabeth play, taking blocks from her when she offered them to him.

"I've run out of stuff," Fred announced to the room, "Everything else isn't entirely appropriate for a first birthday or a hospital room."

"Maybe we should see what Elizabeth's been given," Sirius suggested, "I'm sure she'll have something exciting." He glanced down at Elizabeth, "what do you say Munchkin, do you want to open your gifts?"

Elizabeth grinned as Sirius eyes fell on her, "Dada up," she held her arms out to him and Sirius stooped down to pick her up before helping Hermione to her feet and moving over to Ginny's bed.

Ginny, who had folded her legs beneath her under the blankets smiled at the small black haired birthday girl as Sirius placed her on the expanse at the center as Harry handed Hermione the first gift, a large box sent through from her parents.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Graham entered the Ministers office, aware that Riegel followed and closed the door behind him.

"Ahh, Auror Sinclair, if you'd like to take a seat," the Minister began, gesturing to a large red chair. "I believe you are heading up the investigation into the location of the child in the prophecy."

Graham nodded as he sat down, "Yes, I head one of the teams, but not the whole operation."

Minister Tompkinson nodded, "But you were the first team to start leading the investigation, is that correct?"

"Yes sir."

The Minister nodded again, "That is the reason why you are here."

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

As it turned out the first gift proved so much of distraction that, for the time being the others were abandoned.

Hermione's parents had sent through to their granddaughter a muggle playdough set, complete with an array of different colour dough's and cookie cutters. The gift had not only caught the attention of Elizabeth whose fingers were presently squeezing through the cold dough, but the others in the room who'd never seen or used playdough before.

"Dudley had some of this once," said Harry, who was currently rolling a yellow ball of playdough in his hands, "I think most of it ended up in my hair."

"The colours remind me of my hair," Tonks said almost wistfully.

Ginny frowned confused, "Why is your hair not vibrant Tonks?" she asked curiously.

"Oh right," Tonks answered, forgetting Ginny didn't know, "Apparently my abilities have gone haywire, been happening for a little over a month, Madame Pomfrey is going to have a look this afternoon."

"What colour?" Ginny asked curiously

"Mustard and…"

"…Slime green," Ginny finished with a grin.

Tonks sent a suspicious look at the redhead, "How'd you know?"

"I did an essay on Metamorphmagi for one of my classes."

Tonks face lit up, "So you know."

Ginny shrugged, "I'm only training, Madame Pomfrey will have to do an exam."

Remus looked slightly worried as Harry glanced down at Ginny, he knew she knew, and also knew that if it was bad news she would tell Tonks.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

"Where did you get this information?" Graham asked, his face hard and unreadable as his mind worked overtime.

"A rather reliable source who wishes, for now to remain anonymous," Tompkinson answered with a smile, "You'll be taking your team to the hospital wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry immediately to retrieve the young girl from her parents."

Graham stared at the minister as a silence descended on the room.

"A bit overwhelmed with the news?" the Minister asked with a smug grin.

"No," Graham answered in a low voice.

The Minister misunderstood Graham's statement, "Not overwhelmed? Well you're doing better than me then, took me all morning for the news to sink in."

Graham looked up sharply his brown eyes flashing, "No…" he started, "I'm not leading my team into Hogwarts."

The Minister did a double take, "W-what," he stuttered before frowning, "Dumbledore has no right to stop you, you shouldn't have a problem getting in."

Graham stood, his six foot two frame unfolding and towering over the Minister still seated at his desk, "No, I will not lead my team into Hogwarts to take _that_ child away from her parents, do you even realize who they are?"

The Minister stood now too but came only midway up Graham's chest, "She is the daughter of Sirius Black and Hermione Granger, and I will not take no for an answer Auror Sinclair. You will go to Hogwarts and retrieve that child."

Graham's hands began to shake in anger, "This is Sirius and Hermione _Black_, two of the most powerful wizards of our time, they helped defeat Voldemort. What gives you the right to take away their child?"

The Ministers face was turning slightly maroon by now, as if someone was cutting off his oxygen supply, "I don't care what they did with respect to he-who-must-NOT-be-named! Their names are not Harry Potter, therefore they are insignificant, you WILL go to Hogwarts AND BRING THAT CHILD BACK HERE, THAT IS AN ORDER AUROR SINCLAIR!"

Graham stepped back calmly, tore off his Auror badge and threw it on the Ministers desk, "Find someone else to do your dirty work," he spun around to find the exit blocked by Riegel. "And would you please ask your lackey to move before I give him a hand to get out of my way."

The Minister, stony faced and obviously rather angry sent a small nod in Riegels direction and Graham exited the room in a flurry of red robes.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Hermione gently pushed Elizabeth's small hands into the wet plaster in front of her, before removing them to reveal small little handprints. Grinning Hermione looked up at Remus and Tonks, "This is great, thank you"

Sirius finished the job with his wand, the words '_Elizabeth Rosalyn Black, 2nd March 2000, First Birthday'_ appeared in the plaster before it dried.

"That's brilliant Moony, where'd you get it?" Sirius asked looking up at the werewolf.

"A little shop on Diagon Alley, I think, Fred, you know the owner don't you?"

Fred nodded, "Angelina decided to drop her Auror training after the war, opened up a small gift shop, it's just down the road from work."

"Angelina owns a gift shop?" Harry asked, slightly surprised that his old Quidditch team mate would turn to retail.

Fred nodded, "Brilliant at it too."

"Hermione," Molly started, interrupting the group as Hermione cleaned Elizabeth's fingers, "When do you want to do the cake?"

Hermione shook her head, "Not until Draco gets here, he had training this morning then he needed to pick something up."

Tonks attempted to hide behind Remus as Madame Pomfrey entered the room, "I can see you now Miss Tonks."

Remus glanced down at the witch beside him, "Do you want me to come with you?"

Tonks shook her head, "You stay here, I'll be back soon."

Tonks followed Madame Pomfrey out of the room as Remus caught a small secret smile on Ginny's lips.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Graham raced through the Ministry, it wouldn't be too long before the Minister found someone willing to go to Hogwarts and he needed to find Tonks as fast as possible. Not knowing if she would be with Sirius and Hermione, Graham thought the best place to start looking was her and Remus' house.

He sped through the crowded atrium, people moving for him, even though he no longer had his badge it was the high ranking colour of his robes that caused people to move out of his way as he made his way to the various fireplaces at the other end of the atrium.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Tonks sat on one of the small hospital beds, a few students curiously watching the Auror from their own.

Madame Pomfrey did a series of general tests with her wand before that small secret smile that Tonks had seen on both Ginny's and Grahams face appeared.

"What?" Tonks asked, stating to feel annoyed, "What is with that smile?"

"What smile would that be dear?" Madame Pomfrey asked.

"That one!" Tonks exclaimed, beginning to feel frustrated.

Madame Pomfrey chose to ignore the statement, "Tonks, have you been feeling particularly nauseous lately?"

Tonks frowned, "I do feel slightly sick at times, I put it down to my bad cooking. What has this got to do with my abilities?"

"Well my dear, it appears you are expecting."

Tonks frowned as Draco walked into the room with a small box in his hands, "Expecting what?" Tonks asked confused.

Draco raised an eyebrow, catching the tail end of the conversation, "A multicoloured werewolf I expect."

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

After an unsuccessful trip to Tonks' house Graham found himself getting to his feet in the Three Broomsticks, not bothering to brush himself off he hurried over to the young barmaid.

"Aurors? Have you seen any Aurors come through here?"

The young auburn haired witch nodded, "About ten minutes ago…"

She didn't get a chance to finish as Graham took off out the door and up the street.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

"A baby?" Tonks asked, staring wide eyed at the school nurse who smiled and nodded, "I'm going to have a baby…"

Tonks tuned out the others in the room as the news sunk in, _'how am I going to tell Remus'_…then another though occurred to her, "What about the laws? They haven't been passed yet."

Madame Pomfrey's expression hardened, "No law regarding werewolves' rights to have children is going to change the fact that you're pregnant, and no one will stop you from having a family. I'm sure between you and Remus you can come up with something before the laws are passed."

Tonks smiled feebly at the nurse before realizing Draco was still standing beside her.

"Maybe you should go and tell him," Draco suggested with a grin.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Graham sped through the halls of his old school, passing the curious students who'd already seen a group of red robed wizards walk down the corridors.

From memory he headed for the hospital wing, rounding the last corner he spotted the familiar red robes about to enter the large doors.

Praying Tonks was inside Graham did all he thought he could as he drew his wand, "TONKS!"

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Tonks and Draco both paused halfway across the room. Frowning Tonks pulled out her wands as she heard Graham's frantic voice muffled slightly through the wooden doors.

"What…?" Draco started, before deciding to pull his wand too.

A muffled curse was heard through the door before the sound of a thump.

"What going on out here?" Madame Pomfrey asked, rushing out of her office, startled at the Auror and Auror in trainings fighting stances, both their wands pointed at the door.

The door swung open to reveal four robed Aurors, behind them Tonks noticed her dark haired friend in a pile on the floor.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Remus smiled as he watched Sirius and Hermione dance in slow circles in the middle of the room, there was no music but the couple were lost in a blissful little world of their own, encircled in each others arms.

Elizabeth was in Molly's arms, her eyes slowly starting to droop closed.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

"What do you want?" Tonks snapped, knowing she outranked the lead Auror.

"Auror Tonks," the blonde wizard seemed a little surprised to see her there before shaking the feeling, "Please lower your wand."

"Not until you tell me what a fellow Auror is doing unconscious in the hall! Burke!"

"Mister Malfoy, Auror Tonks, lower your wands immediately, you don't want to risk harming any of these students already in the hospital wing."

Tonks glared at the Auror and lowered her wand, Draco following suit.

"What do you want?"

"What's through there?" the Auror Burke asked, pointing with his wand to Ginny's room.

"That is a private room!" Madame Pomfrey snapped.

Burke ignored the mediwitch and strode over to the room, the other three Aurors following behind.

Tonks and Draco both stepped to block their path.

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A muffled shout through the door brought the groups attention to the disturbance, cautiously Bill wandered up to the door. Before he reached it, it was flung open and a struggling Tonks and Draco were shoved into the room.

In all the commotion the next thing anyone new was Tonks and Draco on the floor, Molly shrieking…..

…..and Elizabeth in the arms of Auror Burke.


	17. Another Brick in the Wall

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or the song used for the chapter title which, shockingly, is not a Bon Jovi song. EVEN more of a classic :)**

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 16: Another Brick in the Wall.**

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For Sirius, the few moments from when he had Hermione settled snugly in his arms to when the door was blasted open seemed like an eternity compressed into an instant. Bill was knocked over by Tonks and Draco and before anyone could react Elizabeth was unceremoniously plucked from Molly's arms. Remus had initially crouched to help Tonks to her feet but stopped and stepped over to block the exit when Elizabeth had begun to wail, his wand trained on the three wizards surrounding the Auror that had taken her. Over to the side he saw Harry - still with his pirates hat - helping Ginny back into her bed, the young witch having jumped up in anger only to buckle at the knees with her actions. Arthur and Fred - still dressed as a clown - had their wands out, all pointing at the red robed Aurors. Sirius' was in his hand like lightning but, unlike the two Weasley men, was aimed between the eyes of the wizard holding his daughter. Beside him Hermione's stance was the same, her face pale in a mixture of horror and rage. The room would have been silent was it not for the piercing screams coming from the child in the arms of a stranger…

…an eternity compressed into an instant.

"HAND HER OVER!" Sirius shouted, the second Elizabeth was in the unfamiliar Aurors arms.

The Auror winced slightly, either at the murderous look in Sirius' grey eyes or the wails in his ear. "By the order of the Minister of Magic," he stated, raising his voice slightly, "This child is to be taken into the custody of the Ministry for her, and the wizarding communities' protection."

"YOU'RE going to need protection if you don't hand her over!"

Elizabeth's wails grew, her small vocal chords running raw with her screams.

"Its ok sweetie, Mummy's here," Hermione's voice trembled as she tried unsuccessfully to calm her daughter.

"You're outnumbered, hand her over," Sirius snapped, "NOW!"

Tonks, Draco and Bill slowly found their feet and stood, wands raised.

There was only one wand in the room still tucked in robes. The boy-who-lived-currently-dressed-like-a-pirate didn't rush his actions as he made sure Ginny was ok.

"You can't possibly think this rag-tag group can take on Aurors!" Sirius didn't miss the snide glances towards Fred and Harry.

"You're outnumbered," Sirius repeated. "If you don't hand my daughter back now…"

"…you will not attack Ministry Aurors!" Burke interrupted, "Lower your wands, and let us leave!" He sent a glare in Remus' direction, faltering slightly when he noted the feral look in the amber eyes.

"You think you're just going to walk out of here?" Tonks snapped, "You need to re-think you're strategizing Burke."

Burke was about to counter his colleague when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The kid dressed as a pirate was making his way over.

"You stay back," he warned, his wand now pointing at the only person in the room that was moving.

"He's unarmed Burke, you can't harm him." Tonks' revelation made Fred smirk as he lowered his wand and pocketed it, moving up to the nearest Auror, daring him to cast a spell at the multicoloured clown.

Harry stepped around Burke's small team and stood in front of the man holding the screaming child.

"Give her back," he murmured.

"I'm under orders from the Minster himself I will not…not…" Burkes voice trailed off as Harry reached up and removed the ridiculous pirate hat, the Aurors eyes falling on the familiar lightning bolt scar.

"Give her_ back_," Harry stated again, his voice rising slightly.

In Burke's arms Elizabeth was stretching out towards Harry, the only familiar face she could see through her tears.

"But I…"

Harry could see the fear sparked in the Aurors eyes, this man was standing in front of a very angry Boy-who-lived. Few experienced a pain free encounter with the look that was currently residing in the emerald eyes.

Sirius held his breath. Elizabeth's wails had turned into sobs as she tried to keep her small lungs taking in air.

Without another word Burke transferred Elizabeth to Harry, her small arms immediately tightening around his neck.

Harry stepped back and made his way over to Hermione who bundled Elizabeth up in her arms, trying to calm the distraught child down, tears streaming down her own face as her heart rate slowed fractionally.

Once he knew Elizabeth was safe Harry moved to stand by Sirius who, while his wand was still trained on Burke, looked torn as to whether or not to stay where he was or to go to Hermione.

Remus stepped away from the door and took his place next to Tonks.

The Aurors looked at their team leader and Burke gave a curt nod before walking out of the room.

If the Minister wanted this child, he can come and get her himself.

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Harry watched as Sirius and Hermione hurried around their chambers packing up items. Elizabeth was asleep in Hermione's arms as her mother packed up her clothes. Remus was the only other person in the room, standing vigilantly at the door.

"Hermione let me…"

"No."

"But…"

Hermione looked up at Harry her chocolate eyes rimmed in red.

"I can't, Harry."

Harry nodded, noting the glance that Sirius sent his wife. Since Harry had handed Elizabeth back to Hermione the only person she let take her daughter from her was Sirius.

"Where are you going to go?" Harry asked, helping Hermione by shrinking Elizabeth's cot.

Sirius glanced at Remus who gave a small nod, "Remus and Tonks' for now."

The door opened and four wands were raised then lowered as Dumbledore walked into the room, trailed by Snape.

Immediately Sirius moved to the headmaster. "How did they get in!" he snapped, "What happened to Hogwarts being safe?"

"I am sorry Sirius, Hermione, I can assure you they will not be allowed back in. You do not need to leave."

Sirius glared and stepped back to resume packing, "We're not staying here, they know where we are."

"So you're running then?" Snape asked smirking. "Always were good at that weren't you Black, running from your problems."

Sirius, already on edge didn't reply, he merely strode up to the Potions Master, grabbed him by the collar of his robes and dragged him to the door, throwing him unceremoniously out into the corridor before stepping back inside and closing the door behind him.

"Always wanted to do that," he murmured to no-one in particular as he resumed the task at hand.

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Tonks glanced down at Graham, currently an occupant of one of Madame Pomfrey's beds.

"Thank you," Tonks murmured.

Graham gave a shaky smile, "It didn't really help though."

Tonks shrugged, "You tried, thank you. And besides, Burke isn't known as the most logical Auror out there."

Graham gave a dry chuckle before becoming sober again. "No one else was hurt? What about Elizabeth?"

Tonks shook her head. "Ginny leapt out of bed, probably not the most brilliant idea, her family's with her now."

Graham looked slightly confused, "Arthur's daughter? What happened?"

Tonks smiled slightly and patted Graham on the shoulder. "Madame Pomfrey will look after you," she said stepping back, "I'll come back later."

Turning to Draco who had just been checked over by Madame Pomfrey Tonks motioned him to follow, "We need to check outside the grounds, if Sirius and Hermione want to leave they'll have to apparate and I don't think running into more Aurors is the best."

"What about the floo?"

Tonks shook her head, "We disconnected the floo after the attack on Harry and Ginny, the network was under the name John so hopefully they won't be able to trace the old records to us."

Draco nodded as the pair exited the castle through the large Entrance Hall doors.

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Sirius shrunk the last of the trunks down and pocketed it before turning to Hermione who was holding Elizabeth close.

"Ready?" he asked quietly.

Hermione nodded as Sirius slipped his hand through hers and led her towards the door, Harry and Remus following.

The group walked in silence down the corridors. In the back of Hermione's mind she noted the absence of the students that occupied the castle.

Harry apparently noticed this too.

"Where is everyone?"

Approaching footsteps brought the four to a stop as Tonks and Draco rounded the corner.

Tonks was shaking her head as she neared the group. "There are two teams patrolling outside the grounds, they don't want you leaving."

Sirius mumbled something that sounded rather like an obscenity before turning on his heal, Hermione following, her hand still clasped in his.

"Sirius?" Hermione asked as he led her outside near the Herbology classrooms.

"Give Elizabeth to Harry Hermione," he murmured, as he unlocked the shed with his wand where he kept his bike.

"What?" Hermione asked, holding Elizabeth closer to herself.

Sirius turned to her, his grey eyes soft as he reached up to cup her cheek, "He can apparate her straight to Remus', we'll go over the lake, take the long way."

Hermione glanced at Sirius' bike, battling with herself on whether or not to take Elizabeth with her.

"Hermione," Harry said softly from the side, "I won't let anything happen to her."

"But…" Hermione's eyes filled with tears again, she glanced down at Elizabeth who was still sleeping, Sirius' arm settled comfortable around her waist as he pulled her close, his other hand resting lightly on Elizabeth's head.

"Come on Hermione, it'll be ok," Sirius murmured.

Hermione glanced up at Sirius before turning to Harry.

"I won't let her out of my sight, I promise."

Hermione nodded mutely and gently handed her sleeping daughter over to Harry.

Harry made sure Elizabeth was secure before turning back to Sirius and Hermione, "I'll see you soon?"

Sirius nodded and Harry turned on the spot and disappeared with a _crack._

Sirius turned back to Remus, Tonks and Draco.

"We'll find out what we can Padfoot." Remus said, answering the unasked question.

Sirius nodded and swung his leg over his bike, Hermione climbing on behind him.

"Wait!"

Hermione turned as Draco walked up to her pulling the small box he'd been carrying into the hospital wing out of his robes.

"This is for Elizabeth, there's a note in there with it." Draco said, handing the box over to Hermione.

"Thank you Draco."

Draco nodded and stepped back as Sirius started the bike, Remus stepping up and performing a Disillusion charm on the pair and the bike.

"Be safe," he murmured to his friends before the bike headed down the hill then up into the air as Sirius and Hermione started making their way across the lake.

The trio headed inside and Draco split from Tonks and Remus, "I'm going to go and see Ginny and the others, let them know what's going on."

Tonks nodded, "I should really head over to the Ministry, see if I can find out who tipped them off."

Draco shook his head as he walked off, "You have something to tell Remus, Tonks," he called as he disappeared around the corner.

Tonks froze, she'd actually forgotten. Looking up at Remus, who was looking back down at her his amber eyes curious, she tried to figure out a way of telling him.

"Oh bollocks!" She exclaimed before taking a deep breath, "Remus…um, maybe you should sit down," she suggested, taking his hand in hers.

Remus raised an eyebrow as there were no chairs in sight, "I'm fine Tonks," his eyebrows then furrowed in concern, "What did Poppy say?" He asked, realising he hadn't had a chance to speak to Tonks about her exam.

Tonks took another deep breath, "My hair will go back to normal eventually."

Remus nodded, "Ok," he said slowly, "Any idea when 'eventually' will be?"

"Just under eight months." In her mind Tonks winced, she needed to get from point A to point B and was taking the long way round.

"Ok," Remus repeated, sounding slightly unsure at what Tonks was telling him.

"It would be about nine months in total." Tonks said, her path from A to B looking more and more like a worm.

Tonks let this new bit of information sink into Remus' head before she continued, "And I'll need to take some time off work."

Remus frowned, "Tonks just tell me…or should I go and ask Draco?"

Tonks shook her head and sighed, "I'm pregnant."

Remus blinked.

Tonks stomach did an uncomfortable flip as Remus' expression remained blank, almost lost.

"Remus?" she asked quietly, "Say something…"

Slowly Remus' mouth formed a smile as the news sunk in, "A baby?" he asked in a soft whisper.

Tonks nodded and smiled and the next thing she new she was in a bone crushing hug from her fiancé.

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The sun had already fallen from the sky as Sirius and Hermione wound their way through the snakelike streets of a small town, the street lights lighting up the moist road like daggers through the tar. This was the last town, the last point of muggle civilization before the windy road to Elizabeth.

Then, as quick as it had come the town was gone, replaced by tall trees lining the roadside, trees that surrounded Remus and Tonks' house, trees that enclosed Elizabeth in a leafy veil of safety.

Sirius felt Hermione's grip tighten as the minutes drew out, she, like him, could feel the magical pull towards their daughter.

Sirius slowed suddenly, his mind elsewhere he almost missed the small driveway between the trees. Turning in a wide arch he steered the bike down the last few kilometres to the small house hidden in the trees.

The only sign of inhabitance was the pale glow of a light from one of the upstairs bedrooms.

As Sirius slowed the bike to a stop Hermione glanced up at the golden light, a shadow moving in front of the window to investigate the source of the low purr outside.

Sirius slipped his hand in Hermione's and headed towards the door. Muttering a series of unlocking charms before the door swung open Sirius led Hermione up the stairs, meeting Harry at the door to the room emitting the warm light.

"She's still sleeping," he whispered as Hermione made her way past him and over to the transfigured cot.

Sirius sent Harry a soft smile, "Thanks mate."

Harry nodded and returned the smile before heading off to one of the other small rooms for some much needed rest.

Hermione glanced up as Sirius gently shut the door behind him and made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder as he gazed down at the sleeping form wrapped snugly in a pale pink blanket.

"What are we going to do Sirius?" Hermione asked quietly.

Sirius didn't answer.

Sirius didn't know.

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_Daily Prophet, 3rd March 2000_

_**CHILD FOUND!**_

_In a breaking interview this morning it has been announced that the black haired blue eyed child has been found. The Minister was glad to inform the press on this breakthrough even if it did come with bad news. _

'_The child was positively identified late yesterday afternoon after an attempt made by the ministry to take her into custody,' one official stated. 'That attempt was thwarted and for the time being her location is unknown to the Ministry.'_

_It has been confirmed that the child in the prophecy is Elizabeth Rosalyn Black, now one year old and the daughter of Hogwarts Professors Sirius and Hermione Black, also known throughout the wizarding community as Harry Potters Godfather and best friend. It has also become clear that a small group of wizards and witches close to the couple, including ministry workers and Harry Potter, alleviated the attempts of the team of Aurors in bringing the child to safety. _

_If anyone has any information on the location of Sirius or Hermione Black and their daughter they are urged to contact the Ministry as soon as possible. _

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	18. Wanted Dead or Alive

**Disclaimer: Not mine….damn…..  
Dedicated to RainyNDawn, just because she is awesome :)**

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**Chapter 17: Wanted Dead or Alive**

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Hermione was sleeping peacefully in that place between awake and asleep when nonsensical babblings brought her from her slumber.

Rain was falling against the cool glass of the window and the air was cold as Hermione rolled over to glance at Sirius.

"Mongs give Proony back his chocolate…"

Hermione grinned as Sirius fell silent again, small frown lines appearing between his eyes.

"Jim…you know what Remmie gets like without his daily dose of chocolate….Jim? James? PRONGS!"

Sirius rolled over suddenly and hit the floor with a thud.

Hermione stifled a giggle.

"….Ow…"

Hermione maneuvered over to the side of the bed and looked over the edge at a now awake Sirius.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, grinning down at the black haired wizard who had closed his eyes again.

"It's cold."

"It's quite warm up here," Hermione replied with a grin.

"Is that so?" Without waiting for a reply or opening his eyes Sirius reached up and yanked on the duvet, bringing it and Hermione down on top of him, the latter giving a small shriek of surprise as she fell to the floor.

"Much better," Sirius commented, smiling as he wrapped his arms around Hermione, he opened his grey eyes to be met with amused chocolate ones looking down at him. "Morning love."

"Good morning, and as much as I love being in your arms, the bed is more comfortable than the floor."

"I don't know, the floor was pretty comfortable last week."

Hermione's cheeks turned slightly red at the memory causing Sirius to chuckle and pull his wife down for a kiss, which before long had wiped the embarrassment from Hermione's head…just the embarrassment mind.

Getting caught in the moment Sirius rolled Hermione over, his lips not leaving hers for a moment as the couple became more passionate.

Breathing heavily Sirius broke the kiss and grinned down at a confused Hermione.

"I think we have an audience."

Leaning forward to look over Sirius' shoulder Hermione caught sight of Elizabeth standing in her crib, her small hands grasping the bars in support.

Smiling Hermione lay back down, her head colliding with the floor.

"…Ow…"

Sirius smiled down at Hermione and gave her a quick kiss on the nose before untangling himself from the duvet and moving over to Elizabeth.

"I'm ok," Hermione started, pulling herself up, "I don't need any help getting up or anything, thanks for asking."

Sirius, with Elizabeth now in his arms grinned back at the slightly disgruntled Hermione who wrapped herself in a robe and glanced out the window, the morning sun blackened out by the dark clouds.

"What were you dreaming about?" Hermione asked with a smirk as she wandered up to Sirius and Elizabeth.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow and eyed Hermione suspiciously, "…nothing…"

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The Minister looked around the darkened room, lit only by a few candles. No one dared meet his eyes.

"What do we have on the Blacks?" He asked the room, his voice echoing in the silence

No one answered.

"Well?"

"Sir," a strawberry blonde wizard with wire framed glasses answered hesitantly. "Its just that, well, we can't go up against Mister Black because he was wrongly imprisoned for twelve years and umm, not what you would say adequately reimbursed for that mistake."

Tomkinson frowned, "Fine, what about the wife then?"

This time the strawberry blonde wizard stayed quiet, waiting for someone else to speak up.

A witch with long dark curls answered instead, "There's nothing that we know of, an incident with an unknown spell that sent her back in time…"

"Can we use that?" The minister interrupted, "Did she break any of the laws?"

The witch shook her head, "Not that we are aware of."

The Minister huffed, "What else?"

"There is nothing else, they both helped Harry Potter in You-Know-Who's downfall."

The Minister was silent and the rest of the room waited for his response.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" The Minister looked down to the end of the table where a young trainee was sitting.

"What about drawing them out by using the ones closest to them?"

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Tonks fidgeted as the ministry elevator took her to her floor. She was in her deep red Auror robes, her long black hair cascaded down her back and her wand clutched tightly in her hand, hidden amongst the folds of her robes.

Her violet eyes flickered to the small lights illuminating the numbers of each floor, each flash brining her closer to one of two things/ The answer to who told the Minister about Elizabeth…or ministry officials ready to apprehend her.

As the elevator doors opened at her floor Tonks stepped out carefully and made her way slowly down the hall.

"Tonks!"

Tonks spun around at the sound of her name, her hand clasping her wand tighter.

"Merlin, Stu, don't _do_ that."

"Sorry, umm, I just wanted to ask why a band of the Ministers men were at your desk."

"WHAT?"

"_Shhhh_"

Tonks' violet eyes flashed dangerously as she spun on her heel.

Entering the room that housed her team's desks Tonks spotted the Officials in deep blue robes gathered around and rifling through her papers. Members of her own team and others were watching the proceedings with curiosity.

Striding up to them the petite Aurors voice lifted across the chatter of the room, "What do you think you are doing?"

The blue robed officials jumped back hastily before recognizing Tonks as the Auror they had been sent to retrieve.

"Auror Tonks?"

"Yes, and what, may I ask, gives you the right to search through my things?"

This question was ignored as three of the wizards stepped towards her.

Tonks took two steps back.

"Auror Tonks you have been asked to accompany us to the Minister."

Tonks glared up at the tall dark hared man with a grotesque moustache. "On what grounds?"

"For withholding important information throughout the course of an ongoing investigation."

Tonks glared but had no reply.

"Tonks?"

Tonks turned back to Stu who had followed her into the room, looking around the rest of her team wore expressions of shock.

Bringing her gaze back to the men in front of her Tonks raised an eyebrow. "I guess I'll be going to see the man we all bow down to and call 'Minister' then."

Without another word Tonks spun on her heel and started to stride out of the room, the officials following close behind.

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Harry and Draco exchanged a glance, they'd turned up at their daily training hoping news of their involvement in yesterdays events hadn't been made public.

For the public part Draco himself was still in the dark, however their team leader, a broad shouldered wizard who liked to be called 'Mac' was not considered to be part of the public and had been sent a very interesting owl from the Minister the previous evening.

He was not happy.

"I have to say that I am not happy with you two," The large muscular Auror trainer glanced at Harry, "Boy-who-lived or not you should have reported this information, if not to the investigating Aurors, to me at least."

Neither Harry nor Draco replied.

Mac sighed, "Very well, the minister has requested to see you, I expect you to go there immediately. Dismissed."

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"Where's Harry?"

Sirius looked up as Hermione walked into the small kitchen with Elizabeth in her arms, holding up a piece of parchment that had been left on the table Sirius answered. "Gone to the Ministry with Draco to see if they can figure anything out. Looks like it's just us for now."

Hermione glanced down at Elizabeth who was attempting to crawl out of her mother's arms, "Ok, ok, down you go." Hermione placed the squirming child on the floor and watched her begin to crawl around and amuse herself.

"So…" Sirius started as Hermione looked back up at him.

"So…" Hermione repeated moving to sit at the small table, Sirius following suit and pulled his chair closer to hers.

"Do you think we'll be safe here?" Sirius asked, shocking Hermione slightly.

"You don't think we will?" he voice had risen slightly higher than normal.

Sirius shook his head and smiled slightly, "I didn't say that, I just want you to feel safe."

Hermione let out her breath, "Oh, well, then yes, for now I do feel safe."

"Good."

Silence descended throughout the room, Sirius was watching Hermione with concern, he could almost see the clogs in her head turning as she tried to get her mind around the situation. Hermione was watching Elizabeth as the black haired child pulled herself up to her feet and maneuvered around the small coffee table in the lounge off to the side.

_Tap tap tap_

Hermione and Sirius both jumped at the noise while Elizabeth's eyes lit up at the sight of the snowy owl at the window.

Sirius stood and went to the window to let Hedwig in out of the rain. The white owl flew into the room, shaking the water from her feathers in the process, and placed a letter and a copy of the Daily Prophet on the kitchen table in front of Hermione.

Sirius sat down again beside her and opened the letter from Remus while Hermione opened the Daily Prophet.

She read the headline and blanched.

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Tonks and the wizards escorting her met up with Harry and Draco half way to the Ministers office, they nodded at each other and remained silent for the rest of the journey, curious faces watching the group as they passed.

As they entered the large doors of the Ministers office all three pairs of eyes fell on the two people sitting nervously in the chairs placed along the wall.

Tonks frowned.

Draco's grey eyes were astonished at the sight.

And Harry…well Harry's emerald eyes hardened in anger at the sight in front of him, the Minister had gone too far bringing these two people in.

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	19. Wildflower

**Disclaimer: Just had an awesome week away, didnt even get drunk enough to believe I owned Harry Potter**

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**Chapter 18: Wildflower**

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_Snuffles_

_Stay put! Dumbledore is on his way to the Ministry._

_Moony_

Sirius frowned down at the obscure note that Remus had sent with Hedwig. Turning to Hermione, Sirius opened his mouth to voice his confusion.

Before he could say anything Hermione stood suddenly sending her chair flying to the floor with a clatter as she walked briskly to Remus and Tonks' broom closet. The copy of the morning's daily prophet was still clutched in her hands, and Sirius was left sitting at the table with his mouth open and Elizabeth on the floor of the small lounge staring wide eyed at her mothers actions.

Sirius stood quickly as Hermione grabbed a broom and moved swiftly across the room to prevent her exit.

"Hermione," Sirius started, staring confused at the furious witch in front of him, "What are you doing?"

"Going to the Ministry."

Sirius stared down at Hermione for a moment, her words slowly sinking in.

"WHAT?" he yelled, his shout making Elizabeth jump slightly.

Hermione didn't say anything further but handed Sirius the newspaper that was bunched up in her hand.

Sirius took the paper without his eyes leaving Hermione's face. Once he was sure she wasn't going to take off out of the house he lowered his eyes to the front page.

_**Muggle Parents Brought in for Questioning**_

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"Mr. and Mrs. Granger?" Harry asked, walking swiftly up to the worried couple sitting in the chairs, Draco and Tonks on his heels.

At the sound of Harry's familiar voice Hermione's parents stood and turned.

"Harry," Anne started, her eyes rimmed red, "They…they said Hermione's missing, they don't know where she is."

"Did they force you here?" Harry asked, glaring at the Ministry officials outside Tomkinsons office, the smaller of the two ducking through the large wooden doors.

John frowned at Harry in confusion, "No, we came willingly; they said that Hermione was missing, along with Sirius and Elizabeth, we wanted to help."

"Come on," Harry started, gently taking hold of Anne Grangers arm and leading her out of the room, "I'm taking you home."

"I don't think so, Harry," Harry stopped and turned towards the Minister who had just emerged from his office. "You have been requested to see me, and the Grangers came willingly, they will stay till I have spoken to them."

"No," Harry snapped. "They came 'willingly' under false pretences. I'm taking them home, you can talk to me all you want later."

The Ministers eyes hardened. "Mister Potter, you are to remain here, you have no authority to pick and choose where you go should the need arise while you are employed by the Ministry."

"I am not going to leave Hermione's parents here for you to use them to get to their daughter!" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Draco and Tonks move behind him.

"Harry, what's going on?"

Harry turned to Anne Granger who was getting rather frustrated at what was occurring, the Ministry seemed concerned for her daughters' safety whereas her friends felt it better that they leave.

"Hermione's fine," Harry murmured, "You don't need to speak to anyone you don't know."

Hermione's parents relaxed slightly and Harry began to move towards the exit once more.

"MISTER POTTER! You are not to leave the Ministry premises till I have spoken to you."

"And he will not, I can assure you of that Minister."

Harry turned to the door where Dumbledore stood and relaxed somewhat.

"I will escort the Grangers home and give them the correct information. Minister you are free to talk to your employees."

Tomkinson seemed torn. He now had no right to hold the two muggles who both seemed less than willing to cooperate than they had when first brought in.

Nodding curtly to the aging headmaster the Minister turned to Auror Tonks and his two top trainees, beckoning for them to follow. The Potter boy waited till the Grangers were out of the room before he stepped through the doors to his office.

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The combination of the crash of Hermione's chair, Sirius' shout and the fact that her parents seemed to have forgotten about her caused Elizabeth to attempt remedy her current situation and promptly burst into tears.

Sirius looked up from the paper. "Don't move," he told Hermione as he moved to sweep Elizabeth up in his arms and attempt to calm her down.

"Remus sent a note with the paper," he explained over Elizabeth's sobs as she began to quieten slightly, "Dumbledore's gone to the Ministry, your mum and dad will be ok. The Ministry has no right to keep them against their will."

"The Ministry has no right to bring them in in the first place," Hermione said through clenched teeth.

"No, they don't," Sirius agreed. "But you won't help matters by storming in there and telling that to the Ministers face. We aren't alone in this Hermione."

Hermione shoulders lost their tension and she glanced down at the broom in her hands before sitting shakily on the two seater couch.

Sirius looked down at Elizabeth who was placidly watching him with red rimmed eyes, her cheeks covered in small tear tracks. Pleased with his success at calming one of the females in the house Sirius sat beside his wife, placing Elizabeth on his lap and slipping an arm around Hermione's shoulders and pulling her closer.

"It'll be ok," he murmured, "We'll just wait for an owl from Dumbledore."

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Harry, Tonks and Draco all stood in front of the Ministers desk, none of the three sitting on the chairs offered to them.

The Minister moved around to the other side of his desk and eyed the trio before taking a seat and clasping his hands together.

"I have to say I'm disappointed in the three of you, especially you Auror Tonks," he remarked glancing at the witch, wondering momentarily why her hair was long and black instead of the vibrant cropped colours he normally associated her with. "You knew who the child was in the prophecy and where she was to be found, yet you did not inform the investigating Auror teams or myself."

The Minister paused to see if any of them would say anything but none seemed to think they needed to explain their actions to the Minister.

"This will not go unpunished. Auror Tonks I'm suspending you till further notice. You will clear your desk and inform Stewart that he is in charge of your team for the time being." Again the Minister paused and was surprised to actually see a flicker of relief wash over Tonks' face, he assumed she'd expected worse punishment. "Mister Malfoy you will not sit your Auror exams next month and will wait till next years exams," the blonde frowned and his grey eyes hardened but he did not say anything. "Mister Potter, you will also not sit your Auror exams next month and will be able to sit them later on in the year."

"No."

The Minister looked up in surprise, first for the fact that one of them had spoken, secondly for what had been said. "Would you care to elaborate further, Mister Potter?"

"If I am not to sit the coming exams I will not sit them till next year, I will not sit a special exam just so you can finally have me working for you."

Tomkinsons eyes widened at the last remark before he narrowed them. "Mister Potter, as much as your ego might assume, the Ministry is not as eager to have you fully trained as you think."

"Is that a fact?" Harry asked, "In that case, allow Draco to sit his exams later on in the year as well, if you don't push mine back or bring his forward I'll walk out of here and never have anything to do with the Ministry again."

Tonks and Draco exchanged glances. Both knew Harry's strong ambition to become an Auror and immediately assumed he was bluffing, either way the Minister didn't give Harry a chance to make his choice.

The Minister glanced at Draco and nodded. "Very well, you can both sit your exams in October, until then you will attend training as per usual but will follow a slightly different regime. Auror Tonks, I will inform you by owl when you will be able to return to work, until then your pay will be terminated."

Tonks' violet eyes didn't change from their hardened stare and Draco and Harry both looked at each other knowing what was to come next.

"I am assuming," Tomkinson began, "That you are not going to inform me of the whereabouts of Sirius Black, Hermione Granger or..."

"Look," Draco interrupted, speaking for the first time, "They have been married for almost two years, show some respect."

The Minister glared, "…or their daughter?" he asked, continuing and ignoring Draco.

No one spoke and the Minister sighed, "Very well, you may leave."

"I have a question," Tonks stated, speaking for the first time since entering the room, "Who told you?"

The Minister immediately new what Tonks was asking and smiled slightly, "You are not privy to that information at this time."

Tonks glared, her eyes flashing dangerously and Tomkinson glanced to the guards at the door.

"I will find out who the snivelling little snitch was," Tonks stated, "And you better find adequate protection for them when I do." With that Tonks spun on her heel and left the room, her ruby Auror robes billowing around her ankles as Harry and Draco followed her.

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Sirius looked down at Hermione. She was curled in a ball on the couch, her legs draped over his as she slept. He'd put Elizabeth down for her afternoon sleep half an hour ago and returned to find Hermione in the same position as her daughter.

A gently tapping on the window brought his gaze up from his wife's face and he quietly stood to let the Hogwarts owl into the room. Taking the note Sirius gave the owl a treat before it flew off.

"Its ok," Sirius whispered to himself as he watched the bird fly out of sight, "Its not like I wanted to reply or anything," he muttered before glancing down at the note. Opening it he was relived to see Dumbledore's elegant script.

_Snuffles and Company_

_The problem has been sorted without incident and the parties involved have been informed of your wellbeing and whereabouts, they send their love and hope for your safety, as well all do._

_Yours,_

_AD._

Sirius smiled and moved to crouch next to the couch Hermione was on, reaching over he gently shook her shoulder, "Hermione, sweetheart, wake up."

Hermione's eyes flickered open to be confronted by Sirius soft grey eyes and gentle smile.

"Mum and Dad?" Hermione asked, sitting up slowly while blinking away sleep.

Sirius handed her the note from Dumbledore, watching her as her chocolate eyes absorbed the information and the remaining tension in her muscles relax.

Sirius smiled at Hermione as she looked up at him.

"I guess I should have thought things through huh?" she asked, a little ashamed of her earlier actions.

"Its alright, I probably would have done the same thing if it were you or Elizabeth, _my_ parents however would be another matter entirely."

Hermione chuckled and shook her head, smiling at Sirius' attempt to lighten the mood.

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Harry walked alongside Draco as they followed Tonks having offered to help her with her stuff. Draco had a small smile on his face, the same smile that he had seen flicker momentarily across Tonks' face as they had left the Ministers office.

"Am I missing something?" Harry asked the pair. "We have to wait another seven months before we can sit our exams and Tonks just got suspended for Merlin knows how long, and you two felt the need to find something about the situation worthy of a smile."

Tonks paused and fell into step on the other side of Harry, "The Minister just did Remus and I a favour,"

"How so?" Harry asked, confused as to why suspending Tonks without pay would be a favour to her and Remus.

"I needed to take some time off and with the current laws I would have rather the officials not known why," Tonks explained as Draco shot her an exasperated glance, the Metamorphmagus really did have trouble just spitting out the relevant information.

"I'm guessing that these current laws have something to do with Remus?" Harry asked, glancing down at the slightly shorter witch beside him.

Tonks nodded, "Under the current law Werewolves are not allowed to have children, though I think the law is worded slightly differently to that, something to do with the feral breeding of unwanted beasts that that Umbridge woman wormed into the bloody laws…"

Harry glanced at Draco as Tonks explanation went off on a tangent, the small smile on the blondes face and the slight nod he gave Harry was the all the answer the young man needed.

"Congratulations Tonks." He said, interrupting her tirade of verbal abuse towards Umbridge.

"What? Oh, thanks." Tonks answered, a warm smile gracing her features as the thought of Umbridge was overtaken by her child.

"I thought the laws were being changed?" Harry asked as the group slipped into an empty elevator, Tonks pushing the small button for her floor.

"They are, most of the steps have been completed thanks to the Ministers apparent lack of prejudice. They just need final approval, after that Remus and I should be fine."

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**_The Daily Prophet 7th March 2000_**

_**Werewolf Rights Abandoned **_

_In a shock announcement the plans for allowing the expansion of Werewolf rights has been put aside by the Minister himself. Known for his lack of prejudices the Ministers intentions are at the moment unknown. The law that was to be passed in the coming months included allowing Registered Werewolves the right to work for the Ministry, the right to marry a willing partner, and to have children. The Wizarding community is torn with this information, with many glad to see the possible laws abandoned and just as many shocked and outraged after all the apparent progress._

_This announcement has come in the wake of last weeks discovery of the identity of the child from the prophecy, as of yet the Minister has no comment on the progress of the search for Sirius and Hermione Black._

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Sirius glanced around the small lounge as he entered from the hall, the morning sun was rising giving the room a soft glow, the birds chirping from the trees outside and the running of the shower upstairs were the only sounds to break the stillness of the morning.

Ignoring the growing pile of unread Daily Prophets collecting dust in the corner Sirius headed for the kitchen to begin breakfast. He and Hermione had come to a mutual decision not to read the Prophet and managed to obtain the relevant pieces of information from the others. Sirius himself was still furious at Tonks' news that the new Werewolf rights had been abandoned, believing that Remus and Tonks' chance for happiness had just been pushed aside for his.

Not able to voice his concerns to his friends through the risk of the letters being intercepted on the way back to Hogwarts Sirius bottled the anger up, intending to use it at a relevant point in time, preferably towards the Minister if it ever came to that.

Using his wand to quickly cook the bacon and eggs setting them aside with a warming spell Sirius set out two plates and glasses along with a pitcher of orange juice. The sounds of the water ceasing upstairs made Sirius smile, though the situation they were in was not the ideal, hiding from the Ministry now, with Hermione and Elizabeth, was a far cry better than when he spent the majority of a year as a dog.

Hermione walked into the room wearing a pair of faded muggle jeans and a soft white cardigan, her curls were wet and hung in long strands down her back. Glancing up at Sirius when she walked in she noticed the small smile gracing his lips.

"Good Morning," she greeted, "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"I can't be in a good mood?" Sirius asked, slipping a hand around Hermione's waist and stepping closer.

"I didn't say that, I was just curious."

"I heard you coming," Sirius murmured, "I couldn't help but smile."

A faint blush graced Hermione's cheeks as Sirius lowered his lips to hers for a soft kiss.

A soft giggle followed by a raspberry and more giggling interrupted Sirius and Hermione. Pulling back Sirius' smile widened and he gave Hermione a quick kiss on the nose before spinning on his heel and running up the stairs.

"Oh right," Hermione called after him grinning, "Go when she's happy not screaming her lungs out."

Sirius grinned at Hermione's remark as he entered their room where they had placed Elizabeth's cot. The black haired one year old was standing up holding onto the bars for support and she broke into a wide grin when she saw Sirius enter the room.

"Good Morning Munchkin, did you have a good sleep?"

"Dada up," Elizabeth held out her arms and Sirius stooped to pick her up.

"Come on then, let's go see Mummy," Sirius said in a low voice, upon re-entering the kitchen he noticed Hermione had a small bowl of weetbix with mashed bananas on top set on Elizabeth's high chair.

Setting the blue eyed child down Sirius sat opposite Hermione and eyed his breakfast. Along with the bacon and eggs that he had already prepared Hermione had placed a couple of boxes of cereal on the table, fresh fruit and toast. Grinning at how well Hermione knew him, or his appetite at least, Sirius began to eat his breakfast while watching Elizabeth with amusement.

She had almost mastered feeding herself. That is most of the food actually made it into her mouth these days. As she enjoyed her breakfast humming quietly to herself, Sirius turned to face Hermione and sent her a crooked smile.

"You know what Elizabeth reminds me of?" he asked, pointing his fork in the general direction of his daughter.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the 'what' in the sentence and waited for Sirius to continue.

"A sponge"

"A sponge?"

"Yes." Sirius answered a thoughtful expression on his face as Hermione raised her glass of juice to her lips. "She absorbs basically anything edible and it just passes straight through her and out the other end."

Hermione choked and spluttered as her orange juice got caught in her throat at Sirius' explanation. Coughing to regain her breath Hermione glanced from Elizabeth to Sirius.

"Are you ok?" Sirius asked with a grin.

Hermione nodded, her eyes watering slightly. Elizabeth had paused in her consumption of her food and after glancing up curiously at her mother proceeded to reach out for a piece of Sirius' bacon. Breaking off a small portion and handing it to her Sirius turned back to Hermione.

"If she is like a sponge like you say," Hermione began, coughing intermittently, "She gets that from you," she stated casting her chocolate eyes down to the food in front of Sirius, "And, for relating our daughter to a sponge you can have the honour of changing her next."

The grin on Sirius' face morphed into a grimace as he glanced at the remnants of weetbix and banana on Elizabeth's high chair.

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Two weeks after the incident in the hospital wing, Remus entered his chambers warily after a hectic day of classes. Tonks and Graham, the latter having been discharged earlier on in the week by Madame Pomfrey, had been covering for Sirius.

Looking up he noticed a red headed female sitting on his couch.

"Ginny," he exclaimed, "When did you get out of the hospital wing?"

Ginny smiled, "Earlier today, I had no one else to see. Harry's still at training and Hermione, well, I can't very well go and visit her by myself."

"Well not at the moment," Remus answered, sitting down next to her on the couch. "I'm sure you'll be able to visit soon."

"I don't think I want to risk it," Ginny replied, a worried look on her face. "I can't imagine what the Ministry would do to Elizabeth if they found her."

"Or Sirius and Hermione," Remus added, "Give the Minister long enough and the charges will lead to possible imprisonment in Azakaban."

Ginny shook her head and glared, not at the werewolf but at the possibility he had presented. "They cant do that, not after what Hermione did to help Harry, or the fact that Sirius already spent twelve years there as an innocent man."

Remus shrugged, "They want Elizabeth, and I don't think they worry about who they hurt to get to her."

Ginny's eyes softened, "I'm sorry about the new laws not being passed Remus, I know you and Tonks were relying on them somewhat."

Remus shrugged and offered the redhead a crooked grin, "You know Tonks. She doesn't care what the laws say. She'll do what she wants."

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**_The Daily Prophet 20th March 2000_**

_**Ministry Reports on Investigation of Elizabeth Rosalyn Black**_

_Late last night the Minister for Magic Robert Tomkinson issued a report on the ongoing investigation of the prophesized child Elizabeth Black. Though progress is slow going the Minister has recently issued a protocol allowing him to intercept any owls entering or leaving Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When questioned about this move the Minister explained to the press that the majority of the Black's allies were either housed or working at the School and would be the most likely to involuntary lead officials to the couple, now that they have been cut off from friends and family the Minister hopes they find it in them to bring their child into the Ministry where she can be kept safe. _

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"What are we doing just sitting around for?" This question was posed by a dark robbed figure in a small room with his companions. It had been almost a month since the Ministry had worked out what the remaining Death Eaters already knew about Elizabeth.

They were now no closer to taking the child from her parents than they had been when she was at Hogwarts.

And it seemed the Ministry had a snitch on their side, someone who knew the Blacks.

"We are looking," came a female voice, "Its like searching for a needle in a haystack, the Blacks do not want to be found, therefore the likelihood of them being found is highly remote."

"What do you propose?"

"We keep looking, but we have a better chance of taking the girl from the Ministry than her parents. I say we wait till the Ministry finds her then make our move."

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"How are Sirius and Hermione faring?"

Dumbledore looked up from his meal to raise an eyebrow at Snape beside him, to his left he felt Remus' eyes also flicker to the Potions Master.

"They are fine Severus, it was nice of you to ask."

"It was not for my benefit Headmaster. I am merely getting rather tired of students pestering me on the wellbeing of their Transfiguration Professor."

Remus eyed the greasy haired man suspiciously, Snape hadn't been informed of where Sirius and Hermione were and his trust in the wizard had dropped considerably since he learnt that he had given Voldemort the Prophecy concerning Harry.

"I am also curious," Snape continued, either unaware of or ignoring Remus' glare, "How you are able to contact them since the Minister is watching the owls and the floo."

"I have my ways Severus, you of all people should know this," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he continued. "I'll make sure to pass on your concerns next time I contact them."

Slightly put out Snape turned back to his meal.

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Sirius was woken by the chirping of the birds as the warm spring sun tried to find its way through the heavy drapes. Groaning and muttering about going bird hunting later Sirius rolled over and pulled the covers over his head. For the past month they had been at Remus and Tonks' the only days he had not been woken by those blasted birds was if it were raining or if Elizabeth beat the feathered fiends to it.

His movements disturbed Hermione, who had begun to grow accustomed to sleeping in.

Opening her chocolate eyes slightly she spied Sirius pulling the covers over his head in a vain attempt to drown out the birdsong. Grinning she ducked under the covers to join him, creeping slowly forward she placed her lips just over his ear and blew gently, a soft whistle emitting from her lips.

"If you keep that up I'll be hunting more than birds later," Sirius mumbled as Hermione tried not to laugh and regained her composure to whistle again in his ear.

Growling Sirius rolled over and pinned Hermione to the bed, groggily opening his eyes Sirius glared down at her momentarily before slumping down on top of her, earning himself a soft 'oof'. Getting comfortable Sirius found himself relaxing again.

"You're heavy." Hermione stated from beneath him.

No response.

"Sirius."

"Mmhhmm"

"I'll start whistling again."

"I won't move," as if reading her mind Sirius reached out slowly, keeping his eyes closed, and held Hermione's arms at her side to prevent any chance of her going for her wand.

"Sirius."

"Mmmhhhmm"

"As much as I love being this close to you do you know how much you weigh?"

"I don't exactly go around sitting on myself do I?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at the wizard still sprawled over her and looking rather comfortable.

"Take my word for it, you're heavy."

Sirius opened his eyes and looked up at Hermione. "Now that's not very nice, I don't go around calling you fat,"

Hermione grinned, "Yes, that's because you like your manhood too much, which at this moment doesn't look like it's got that long to live."

Sirius got the message and, after paling slightly, rolled off to the side.

Taking advantage of her newfound freedom Hermione snuggled into Sirius side, resting her head on his shoulder as he pulled her closer, breathing in her scent and forgetting the threat to his nether regions.

"I like it here," he murmured, "but…"

"You miss everyone?" Hermione answered, knowing what was on his mind, the mood of the room chilling slightly.

"Mhmm," Sirius shifted slightly. "That and I don't like hiding, or running for that matter, I think I've done enough for two lifetimes."

Hermione lifted her head and looked down at Sirius. He had a slight haunted expression on his face which he tried to hide with a smile when she looked up at him.

Tracing her finger along the side of his face, her eyes following her movements, from a pale scar from his time in Azkaban down to a scar on his chin he'd picked up during the final battle.

"We'll find a way through this," she whispered, resting her head down on his chest again as he stroked a hand through her curls.

Unbeknown to each other both sent their eyes in the direction of Elizabeth's cot, and both knew then there was no way they would risk their happiness and freedom if it meant loosing her.

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Hermione wandered down the stairs later on that morning, dressed in a flowing full length skirt and a white singlet, intent on enjoying the day's sun. Elizabeth, in her arms, was also dressed for a day out, in a small pink dress with a matching hat.

"Sirius?" she called entering the small lounge before noticing the small note on the desk.

'_Taking the dog for a walk'_

Hermione smiled and shook her head before grabbing a book, Elizabeth's play mat and bag of toys before heading out into the sun

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Sirius made his way back to the small cottage as Padfoot, his canine nose guiding him in the correct direction. He'd adequately run off a fair amount of energy, charging through the underbrush startling a number of birds which he managed to prevent himself from leaping at, and through a number of cool streams.

He now trotted at a leisurely pace back to the small cottage, his ears perking up when he heard Hermione's voice followed by Elizabeth's giggling and answer in her own gibberish, a few discernable words mixed in.

Changing back to his human form Sirius made his way quietly through the trees, smiling when he spotted Hermione sitting on Elizabeth's small blanked, holding the blue eyed child in a standing position, keen on getting the little tot walking at an early age.

Looking around Sirius noted some wildflowers growing around the edge of the trees. Stooping he started gathering a handful, adding to the assortment of pinks and yellows the odd fern for greenery.

Smiling at his success Sirius stood and made his way back through the trees, he noted Hermione's hand resting on her wand and her eyes alert as he drew near, before relaxing slightly seeing him come out of the trees, hand behind his back.

"Did you have a nice walk?" Hermione asked as he approached.

"Brilliant," Sirius smiled and crouched down next to his family, bringing his hand around from behind his back and presenting Hermione with the wildflowers, "For you," he said smiling at her surprised reaction.

"Oh Sirius, thank you, they're beautiful," Hermione took the impromptu bouquet from Sirius.

Sirius attention was drawn away from Hermione when Elizabeth pulled herself up, her small hands supporting herself on his knees as she looked up at him with a slightly expectant expression.

"Hello Munchkin," he greeted with a smile before bringing a single buttercup around and presenting her with it. Her bright blue eyes fell on the flower which she took in her small fist before falling backwards in a sitting position, her eyes on the gift.

Smiling Sirius looked back at Hermione who was observing the scene with a warm smile of her own, "I'm going to go and put these in water," she announced, standing and leaving Sirius with Elizabeth.

Sirius shifted from his crouched position onto Elizabeth's play mat, lying down beside her on his side, resting his weight on one elbow as he crept his fingers in a spider-like fashion towards Elizabeth's small toes.

Noting the movement out of the corner of her eye Elizabeth's attention shifted from her flower to the fingers, as they neared she tried to pull her feet back, glaring accusingly at her father before attempting to slap his hand away.

"Bad," she stated, her small hands hitting his.

Sirius chuckled and stopped annoying her, pleased with her success Elizabeth sent her attention back to her flower.

Hermione returned and sat back down on the other side of Elizabeth.

"What have you got there sweetie?" she asked.

Elizabeth looked up at her mother and held out the flower, showing it off before bringing it back to a safe point close to her small body.

"Flower," Hermione said slowly.

Elizabeth looked down at the object in her hands and back up at Hermione.

"Fower."

Sirius chuckled causing Elizabeth to look over at him and smile, "Fower" she stated, passing him back the buttercup, "Daddy fower."

Sirius took the flower with a smile as Elizabeth crawled over to Hermione "up?" she asked

Hermione lifted Elizabeth up slightly and grinning at Sirius, turned Elizabeth around to face him placing the child on her feet.

"Do you want to go to Daddy?" she asked

"Dady."

Sirius grinned at his daughter's enthusiasm to get to him. Sitting up slightly, ready to catch her if she fell Sirius waited to see what she would do next. They had done this activity before, usually once Hermione let go of Elizabeth she'd fall to her knees and crawl straight to Sirius.

This time however was different, Elizabeth looked down at her feet once Hermione had let her go, as if wondering what to do next.

Slowly, much to Hermione's delight she put one foot in front of the other.

Perking up at this Sirius sat up straighter, "That's it, come to Daddy."

Elizabeth grinned as she quickened her pace, walking at first, then falling into Sirius' arms where she found herself wrapped in a big hug.

"Well done Munchkin." Sirius praised grinning over her head at Hermione who had her own grin to match.

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**_The Daily Prophet April 6th 2000_**

_**Malfoy Manor Searched!**_

_In a surprise search late yesterday afternoon Ministry Officials and Aurors descended upon the newly renovated Malfoy Manor for the possibility of the Blacks being there. Draco Malfoy the only remaining Malfoy after his fathers death in the final battle and his mother subsequent suicide, was reported to be furious at the raid which turned out to be unsuccessful, and is looking at laying charges for the invasion. Along with the Malfoy Manor being searched all known properties of Sirius Black and his friends are being searched._

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Hermione sighed and ran her hands through her hair, she'd just been speaking to Dumbledore and the news wasn't good. After receiving no owls in the last few weeks, from their friends or the delivery of the Daily Prophet, the news of Draco's and Sirius' properties being searched annoyed her.

It also worried her.

What would they do if the Ministry worked out that Remus and Tonks owned a house?

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Melanie and her friends walked down the corridors of Hogwarts on the way to the library to complete an essay set by Tonks on Transfiguring inanimate objects into small animals.

"Excuse me."

The three girls turned to look up at a red headed wizard with horn rimmed glasses looking down his nose at them.

"Would you know where I could find Ginny Weasley, I was told she was staying here."

Melanie eyed the red head suspiciously, neither her nor her friends speaking up. One for the fact that they didn't know where Ginny Weasley was, and two, well, didn't your mother always tell you not to talk to strangers?

The wizard smiled down at the trio in a somewhat forced way that made Melanie more wary.

"I'm her brother, I'm just visiting."

"Surely you would know where she was then." Melanie said, picking up her courage to speak to the stranger.

The wizard frowned, his eyes narrowing, "You should know where Professor Lupin was then."

"Probably in his class."

"Which is where, its not where it was when_ I_ was Head Boy?"

"The Defence Against the Dark Arts class, go back the way you came take a left at the portrait of the tigers in tutus and carry on down that corridor till the end, you should find the door you need."

"Thank you."

The wizard spun on his heel and strode off in the direction Melanie had sent him, once he was out of sight her friends spun on her.

"Melanie!" the both gasped out in unison, "That's not the way to Professor Lupins class," Samantha finished.

Melanie grinned, spun on her heel and linked her arms with her friends, dragging them in the direction of the library.

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Harry strode through the corridors of Hogwarts, his black robes flowing around him as he tried to ignore the stares of the students as he passed. He'd been at Hogwarts now for over three months and he still wasn't used to the awe struck stares of the younger wizards and witches.

Turning into the Entrance Hall he spotted a rather irate red headed wizard and attempted to make a quick escape back the way he came.

"Harry!"

Cursing under his breath Harry turned back around and plastered a curious expression on his face.

"Percy, what brings you here?"

Percy frowned, "I came to see Ginny but it seems I was misdirected by some first years, maybe I should say something to Dumbledore, young witches should learn to respect elder wizards."

Harry frowned at the last remark but grinned inwardly at the intuition of some of the first years; meet a stranger: send him straight to the exit.

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The air was warm and the birdsong soft as a beautiful spring afternoon befell the occupants of Remus and Tonks' small cottage in the woods.

Hermione put a sleeping Elizabeth down for an afternoon nap and caught sight of Sirius outside. Though the reason for their presence here was sinister, the atmosphere of the past month had done wonders for the family. The fresh air and sun was a complete change to what Sirius was used to when running from the Ministry.

Hermione let out a small sigh as she watched Sirius below. He was wearing faded jeans that sat low on his hips, he had discarded both his heavy black boots and shirt and had opted to clean his bike the muggle way.

As she smiled at Sirius attempt to work out how to turn on the muggle hose, which had obviously come with the house when Remus had purchased it, Hermione noted the lack of tension in his shoulders as the warm sun fell on the tanned skin. His shoulder length locks of ebony falling around them before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a length of leather and tied them at the nape of his neck.

As if feeling her eyes on him Sirius paused in his actions and glanced up at the window Hermione was looking out of, seeing her watching him he sent a warm smile and waved, holding her eyes for a moment before returning to his task.

Hermione pulled the drapes closed, leaving the window open a fraction, and headed out of the room.

Sirius had worked out how to use the hose and was busy with a soapy cloth by the time Hermione wandered outside, most of his bike now covered in a lather of bubbles.

Hermione wandered close to Sirius on the lawn then sat on the cool grass, choosing to watch Sirius rather than help him.

Sirius glanced up and acknowledged her presence with a smile.

Hermione caught the warmth of the smile, but also the mischievous glint behind his eyes.

"I should have brought a book," Hermione murmured to herself, readying herself to run should the need arise.

Eyes still on Sirius, though slightly more warily, Hermione watched as he picked up the hose to rinse of the lather, feeling this was a good time to rise from her position on the ground Hermione got to her feet.

Moving over to the other side of the bike Hermione eyed Sirius, they were in a dance, one wary the other clearly amused.

"You look a bit hot," Sirius observed with a grin.

"I'm fine," Hermione shot back with a grin to match his own. She had positioned herself next to his bucket filled with soapy water and had her wand at her side, neatly hidden in the folds of her knee length skirt.

Sirius let the water flow over his bike, rinsing away the soft white bubbles, leaving trails of white in the green grass underneath.

Hermione caught the quick glance of the grey eyes in her direction and before Sirius could even think of moving his wrist to wet her with the hose he had a bucket of soapy water tipped over his head.

Spluttering he wiped the suds from his eyes and glared at Hermione, who was currently trying to suppress peels of laughter.

"Oh, Ha Ha," Sirius said as suds dripped from the ends of his hair which had come loose from their binding.

Hermione began to laugh at the sight, as Sirius shook his head like his canine counterpart to rid himself of the suds.

Before Hermione knew what was happening an icy blast of water hit her, letting out a small scream of surprise she tried to step away from the flow of water but it followed her, as well as the sound of Sirius' chuckles.

"Sirius!" Hermione gasped, "That's cold!"

The stream of water stopped and Hermione glared, sopping wet, at Sirius who had joined her on her side of the bike.

"You didn't think I'd let you get away with that?" Sirius asked with a grin, "I'm still a Marauder."

"Yes," Hermione answered with a small grin, her wand behind her back, "Just remember how long I've known you."

Sirius looked confused for a moment before getting a face full of water from Hermione's wand, taking his spluttering as a chance to escape Hermione made her way further into the small yard, Sirius on her heels.

He abandoned the hose, and opted instead to chase her, his goal to rid her of her wand.

Catching up and grabbing her around the waist Sirius spun the struggling Hermione in his arms, his hand finding her wand and grasping it before she came up with any other ideas.

Both dripping wet and panting Hermione tried to free her wand hand but to no avail.

"Here I am," Sirius panted, "Leisurely washing my bike and you come along and proceed to drown me."

"And you weren't thinking of doing the same thing?" Hermione asked, trying to catch her breath.

Sirius put on a look of complete innocence and cocked his head, "Now would I do something like that to my beautiful wife for no reason?"

"Yes."

Sirius changed his innocent look to affronted, "I'm shocked you think that."

Hermione grinned, still trying to get her wand free, "Ha Ha," she replied. Still having a firm grip on her wand she attempted to point it in Sirius direction before sending another stream of water.

All this accomplished was sending water into the air and back down onto both of them, by now Hermione's pale blue shirt and skirt were soaked through, whereas Sirius jeans looked like they were going to slip off with the weight of the water through them.

Seeing as this was accomplishing nothing except making both parties laugh like there was no tomorrow while fighting over control of the wand, Hermione stopped the stream of water.

"Well, at least the afternoon was refreshing," Sirius remarked with a grin, noticing just how wet Hermione was. The water had caused her curls to lengthen and her hair cascade in wet rivulets down her back while her already tight shirt clung to her like a second skin.

Hermione was aware of Sirius arm still wrapped around her waist as she was pressed up against his bare chest, heat emitting from him through her wet top.

"You can let go now," Hermione breathed, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

"And let you free while I'm unarmed."

"What do you propose, we stay like this forever?"

Sirius glanced down with a look of sincerity, "I wouldn't complain."

Sirius lowered his head and met Hermione's lips in a sensual kiss, both relaxing their grip on the single wand between them as Sirius bundled Hermione in closer to him, Hermione feeling the kiss right down to the tips of her toes.

Pressing closer to Sirius' warmth, her hands flat on his bare chest, wand apparently relinquished at some unknown point, Hermione felt Sirius lose his footing on the wet grass and attempted to stay upright as Sirius landed on his back with an 'oof'.

"Are you ok?" Hermione asked, looking down at him with a grin.

"Just dandy," Sirius answered, a little annoyed that he'd actually caused the interruption of the rather good snogging session.

Letting Hermione pull him to his feet Sirius resumed his previous position, his arms around Hermione's waist as he gently began to nudge her in the direction of the door, his lips finding hers again and somewhat hampering the process of getting inside.

Getting frustrated at having four feet to control, Hermione it seemed having lost some of her motor functions, Sirius lifted Hermione onto his hips, her legs draping around his waist as he walked up the few steps to the small deck before hitting the front door.

Or rather Hermione's head hitting the front door.

"Ow,"

"Sorry," Sirius barely gave Hermione the time to process the apology before he crushed his lips back to hers while kicking open the door and entering the small lounge, leaving behind a trail of water in their wake.

Half way there Sirius' little toe caught the edge of something hard, cursing and almost dropping Hermione Sirius eyes began to water as Hermione muffled her giggles.

"Shh," she whispered, shaking with silent laughter, "You'll wake Elizabeth."

Rather irritated, but extremely turned on, Sirius felt his knees hit the couch and the couple tumbled onto it in a tangle of limbs, both pairs of hands busy attempting to get rid of wet clothing.

Hermione's fingers ceased at Sirius jeans, which seemed to have glued themselves to his contours when he tugged her top over her head.

"A hand would be ni…ooohh," Hermione's thought trailed off as Sirius found her weak spot on her neck causing her to wither beneath him, her hands abandoning his jeans and running up his sides.

Attempt one to remove Sirius' jeans: Unsuccessful.

Sirius, content for now with his jeans, or rather oblivious at present time to their hindrance, unclasped Hermione's bra and slid it off her shoulders, one hand straying to her breast the other around to the small of her back to press her against him, his mouth still hungrily busy with her neck.

Sirius moved his lips back to Hermione's, a hand now moving to her hair as she tangled her fingers in his own wet locks.

Suddenly noting the painfully growing bulge in his jeans Sirius attempted to remove them single handedly.

Attempt two to remove Sirius' jeans: Unsuccessful

Sirius growled low in his throat in aggravation causing Hermione to break away from the kiss and raise a questioning eyebrow.

"Damn jeans," Sirius muttered under his breath while grinning wirily down at Hermione as he sat up on his knees to remove the aforementioned garment.

Attempt three to remove Sirius' jeans: Successful.

"Third time's a charm," Hermione murmured as she pulled Sirius back down, her hands now busy with his boxer shorts, Sirius' own fingers skilfully removing her own undergarments, her skirt having ridden up over her waist.

Now appropriately unclad Sirius grasped Hermione's wrists with one hand and held them above her head, halting her protests with a smouldering kiss causing Hermione to moan and wrap her legs around Sirius' hips, locking them together at the ankle as his spare hand ran the length of her torso.

A faint murmur passed Sirius lips, Hermione feeling the slight movement on her own before she lost all coherent thought and gasped, arching her hips as Sirius entered her, rolling with his movements, her hands still clasped by Sirius above her head.

The pair parted at the lips, Hermione's head arching backwards while Sirius bowed his, his forehead grazing Hermione's chin, both breathing heavily.

Sirius felt Hermione shudder and moan beneath him as she climaxed, and met her mouth once again in a passionate kiss as he felt himself peak.

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Ginny was rather shocked when Harry entered their chambers, her estranged brother following close behind.

"Percy?" she asked, surprised to see him. She hadn't seen him since the encounter at Christmas and the fact that he was here now, after not coming while she was in the hospital wing, made her slightly suspicious. Glancing at Harry she could see the same thing reflected in his green eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Percy stepped passed Harry, whose face immediately hardened once the redhead had passed, and up to his little sister.

"I came to visit. I've been busy at work…"

"I'm sure you have," Harry muttered in the background.

"…I wanted to see you." Percy finished, either not catching or just ignoring Harry's remark.

"Oh," Ginny said, slightly unsure what to say.

"How are you?" Percy asked, taking a seat on the couch, Ginny following suit and sitting beside him.

Harry decided to sit on the armchair opposite Percy, sending him his best intimidating stance as possible.

"I'm fine," Ginny answered, "I get a little tired now and then and a few headaches, but I'm Ok."

"And you're staying here? At Hogwarts?"

"Yes." Harry answered, glaring openly at Percy, "Not that it concerns you."

Percy glared back, obviously annoyed at Harry interrupting the conversation with Ginny, before turning back to his sister, "I thought you two would have had a house by now, what with Harry's glory and all."

Ginny glared and stood, "Merlin Percy, could you be anymore obvious!"

Percy looked affronted, "Ginny, I afraid I don't understand what you mean."

"Get out," Ginny snapped, pointing at the door.

"But…"

"Now!"

Percy stood and gave both Harry, who remained seated with a look of slight glee on his face, and Ginny a hard look, "Fine, just don't come running to me when the Ministry charges you with aiding and abetting criminals."

"Out!"

"Yes Percy, I'm sure you already know how to get to the exit," Harry said from the couch with a grin, "Just remember the tigers in tutus and you should be fine."

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Hermione stretched languidly on the couch, humming to herself in bliss, from the lack of babbling or screaming she summarised that Elizabeth was still asleep. Cracking open her eyes when she noted lack of warm body next to hers Hermione looked over the edge of the couch in the prospect that Sirius may have met another painful fate with the floor.

She was presented with her discarded shirt and underwear and Sirius boxers but no sign of the man himself. Sitting up and pulling her clothes back on, minus her bra after an unsuccessful search, Hermione made her way back outside, missing the disarray and relative moistness of the room.

She found Sirius where she had found him earlier, his back turned to her crouched by his bike, clad again in his jeans, and obviously only his jeans after what she'd seen next to the couch. He was busy with a rag and polish finishing up his bike, his buttocks at risk due to the presence of his wand tucked in his back pocket.

Stepping quietly onto the grass with the intent on surprising him Hermione frowned slightly when he looked over his shoulder at her and grinned.

"How do you do that?" Hermione asked, stepping up to him, her hands on her hips.

"Do what?" he asked, grinning up at her, grey eyes squinting slightly in the sunlight.

"I can never sneak up on you."

Sirius grinned and took Hermione's hand lightly, pulling her down to his level. She sunk to her knees as Sirius moved to whisper in her ear.

"I know when you leave a room, when you enter a room, when you're looking at me, and when your trying not to look at me," Hermione smiled slightly at this confession, Sirius continuing to whisper, pulling back slightly to brush her hair away from her face and looking into her eyes, "I also know when you're trying to sneak up on me."

Hermione smiled, "are you almost done?" she asked indicating to the bike.

"Almost, do you want to help?"

Hermione's smile grew, "Sure."

Sirius positioned Hermione in front of him, his arms wrapping around her, one handing her the rag before he rested his hand on top of hers guiding her movements.

In the back of her mind Hermione had a distinctly Asian voice instructing 'Wax on…Wax off…Wax on…'

'Wax of…'

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Harry and Remus looked at one another before grabbing the portkey. After a discussion with Dumbledore, he finally thought it safe enough to visit Hermione and Sirius, and Remus and Harry had been given the privilege of being the first to go.

Armed with messages from the others both wizards felt the tug of the portkey and momentarily found themselves in Remus' lounge.

Remus looked around at the sunlit room, taking in the discarded array of cushions, a relatively wet floor, Sirius' boxers and what he summarised as Hermione's bra poking our from under the couch.

"I think you should burn your couch," Harry suggested, his green eyes also taking in the odd scene in front of him.

"I think we should both be glad we didn't decide to come any earlier," Remus said, grimacing slightly, his lips twitching as he noted Harry pale.

Hearing voices from outside the pair went to the front door to investigate.

Sirius and Hermione were busy polishing Sirius bike. Sirius had his chin resting on Hermione's shoulder as he whispered into her ear, causing the witch to blush slightly as she worked the chrome in front of her.

"Ahem," Remus interrupted, causing a number of events to happen in quick succession.

Hermione and Sirius' wands were drawn with a flick of the eye, while Harry and Remus both ducked to the ground to avoid the beams of red light shot simultaneously from the wands.

Glancing up from his position on the ground and looking over his shoulder Remus noted two new scorch marks on the side of his house.

"Brilliant Padfoot," the werewolf mumbled before turning back, surprised to see two wands still trained on him and Harry as Hermione and Sirius came closer.

"Sirius," Remus started, "What…?"

"Shoot first and ask questions later," Sirius answered, still eyeing the pair with an air of suspicion, the only person they had spoken to recently was Dumbledore and he hadn't given them any warning of visitors.

"So start asking questions," Harry mumbled, sitting up slightly and rubbing his ribs.

Sirius, wand still trained on the pair, stepped between them into the doorway, effectively putting himself between Remus and Harry and Elizabeth.

"Padfoot," Remus started, "put your wand down."

Sirius glanced at Hermione, who had already lowered her wand, obviously happy that the pair were in fact Remus and Harry, and was watching her husband with amusement.

Sirius lowered his wand and put a hand out to help Remus up, "A warning would have been nice Moony."

"With the state of my lounge a warning would have been a brilliant idea."

Sirius looked slightly guilty and Hermione blushed deep crimson, "Err, sorry, things kind of umm…."

Remus shook his head with a grin at Sirius' stuttering, "I believe there are some garments of yours in there you'd probably want to put away…..or on," he finished stepping back into the house and through into the kitchen.

Hermione glanced at Harry out the corner of her eye and sent him a glare when he smirked at her.

"I'm going to check on Elizabeth," Sirius stated, snatching away the stray garments before heading up the stairs.

"Put a shirt on," Hermione called after him before turning to the lounge to rectify the mess she and Sirius had left earlier.

"It's good to see you Hermione," Harry said quietly, watching her quickly clean the room.

Hermione turned around and smiled at Harry, walking up to him where he pulled her into a tight hug, "I missed you," he stated clearly

Hermione pulled back, "I missed you too. You don't know how good it is to see a different face."

"I'm hurt," Sirius stated, entering the room with a sleepy looking Elizabeth in his arms, a black shirt now covering his torso.

Hermione grinned at him and poked out her tongue.

"Fine then," he stated poking his back, "We'll just go and see Uncle Moony wont we Munchkin."

Hermione smiled at the retreating pair turning back to Harry once they were out of sight.

"What?" she asked, after seeing the small smile on his face.

"You guys are doing well, you're happy."

Hermione nodded, "The situation isn't the best but I think the fresh air has done a world of good for Sirius."

Harry nodded smiling, "I glad."

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**_Daily Prophet April 30th 2000_**

_**Mixed Views from Wizarding Community. **_

_Amidst the Prophets ongoing reporting on the Prophecy and missing child, Elizabeth Black, the paper has received mixed views on the matter from the community. _

_A number of irate members of society are in full support of the Ministry's actions, condemning the choice of path made by The Blacks and believe the child would be safer in the Ministry's care. Others however are in full support of the Blacks chosen action, believing that if the Ministry can't find the child then neither can the remaining rabble of Death Eaters, many irate that the Ministry would even consider taking a child from its parents. _

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Remus and Ginny were walking slowly down the empty corridors in the late April evening, Remus had patrol, and with Harry and Draco still at training Ginny was bored and had asked if she could join the werewolf.

"I'm glad they are happy," Ginny said quietly, "It makes the whole situation easier to handle knowing they are safe at your place."

The werewolf murmured his agreement, his attention focused on the cold feeling he just got down his spine.

"Remus?" Ginny asked, "What is it?"

Remus shook his head, "Nothing, I just thought someone was following us."

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Sirius stretched and yawned, it was an early may morning, well into spring, summer quick on its heels, as the sun shone through the window. Sitting up and looking around the deserted room he could hear Hermione and Elizabeth in the kitchen.

Pulling on his warn jeans and a black t-shirt Sirius ran a hand through his hair, pocketed his wand and made his way to join his family.

"Good Morning," Hermione greeted with a smile. "Did you sleep well."

Sirius smiled and nodded, moving up to Hermione and slipping his hands around her waist, giving her a soft kiss.

Pulling back slightly Sirius frowned and cocked his head. Removing his arms from their current position his hand went for his wand, Hermione, looking at Sirius in confusion did the same thing before moving swiftly over to Elizabeth and picking her up out of her highchair.

"Sirius?" she whispered.

Sirius eyes darkened.

The birds had stopped singing.

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**A/N: ooohhhh…..here's some statistics for you...**

**An average chapter is about 2500-5000 words….10-15 pages…**

**The longest chapter prior to this was either Blaze of Glory or Dry County in Bed of Roses which were about 21-22 pages.**

**This chapter, which as taken me about a week to write…is….40 pages….10,084 words!...**

**Hope you enjoyed it ; )**


	20. The Right Side of Wrong

Disclaimer:…Nope…Still not mine

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**Chapter 19: The Right Side of Wrong.**

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Sirius trained his wand on the entrance way to the kitchen. His face was pale and his hand shaking slightly.

"Portkey" he whispered urgently to Hermione who did what he said, grabbing the frying pan from the bench and murmuring _'portus'_

Elizabeth was silent, burying herself in her mothers arms as if she new she needed to be quiet.

"Sirius" Hermione whispered, her brown eyes showing her panic, "It's not working."

"Shit," Sirius cursed, stepping back closer to Hermione, his brain working in overdrive as he heard footfalls through the lounge.

They were trapped.

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The Minister couldn't hide the small grin on his face as he ate his breakfast in peace. Two weeks previous he had been informed that Remus Lupin owned a house. The same Remus Lupin who was friends with Sirius and Hermione Black. It had taken two weeks of tracking and questioning muggles to get a location of the house, but his team had pulled through, and any minute now Elizabeth Black should be in the custody of the Ministry.

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Sirius and Hermione listened as footsteps echoed throughout the small house, apparently whoever had come had come in numbers.

Casting shield charms they waited.

"Whatever happens, don't let her go." Sirius whispered to Hermione.

A young Auror stuck his head around the corner and pulled it back quickly when he spotted Sirius, Hermione was crouched behind him, her arms wrapped around Elizabeth.

"They're in here!"

Aurors and Ministry Officials poured through the small entrance way, wands raised, wary of the two that stood at the far end of the kitchen.

"Give us the child and no one gets hurt."

Sirius growled low in his throat, the intensity in his grey eyes disturbing some of the Aurors in front of him.

"Alright then. Have it your way."

Sirius and Hermione were prepared for the onslaught of spells sent their way, their shields effectively keeping them out of harms way.

"What?" Came a sneering voice from the midst of the crowd, "you're not going to fight back?"

Sirius wasn't given a chance to answer as more stunners were sent their way, Hermione stood now, sidelong next to Sirius to help him keep the shield up. Elizabeth tucked safely between the two of them.

Sirius frowned as their shields began to give way. They weren't strong enough to hold back the thirty something team that was attacking them.

As the thought passed through Sirius' head a disarming charm made its way through the invisible barrier, hitting Hermione and sending her backwards, her wand flying through the air.

Sirius' eyes flickered to his wife in concern, the moment's distraction costing him as another onslaught of disarming spells shot through the barrier.

Hermione watched in horror as Sirius was knocked off his feet and sent flying through the kitchen windows, glass shattering everywhere in a spray of shards followed by the thump of Sirius hitting the ground outside.

Struggling to hold back the tears Hermione turned back to the Aurors who still had their wands trained on her.

"Hand her over and we won't have to hurt you."

Hermione glared, "why can't you just leave us alone?" she asked, her voice small as they advanced on her and Elizabeth. Hermione stepped back until her back hit the wall behind her, "Can't you just give us some peace?"

Spotting the discarded frying pan on the floor next to her Hermione sunk to her knees, hoping the Auror she didn't recognize mistook the action as a weakness.

Smiling inwardly as he lowered his wand and stepped closer Hermione gripped her hand around the handle of the cast-iron pan.

Still holding Elizabeth close to her Hermione stood and swung with all her might, the frying pan colliding with the Aurors skull in a satisfying _thunk _followed by a robed body hitting the floor.

Simultaneously the Aurors and Officials raised their wands again as Hermione turned, shielding Elizabeth with her body, the frying pan still clutched in her hand. A blur of black fur leapt through the shattered windows, landing on the kitchen floor between Hermione and the Aurors, its paws leaving smears of blood from the glass over the tiles, claws scratching trying to get purchase.

Shocked at the grim-like dog that had suddenly appeared, its growl loud throughout the room, the Aurors stepped back slightly.

"It's Black"

Hermione watched as Sirius leapt for the nearest Auror, his sharp teeth snapping at robes, his horrifying bark echoing off the walls.

But as well as being trapped they were without wands and outnumbered. Padfoot yelped as he was struck by several spells and collided painfully with the wall beside Hermione.

The wind knocked out of him Sirius transformed back, his face was covered by small cuts, one nasty one along his hairline sending a slow stream of blood down the side of his face.

Getting to his feet slowly, wincing as he put his weight on his torn up bare feet Sirius moved to stand in front of Hermione and Elizabeth.

The Aurors shook their heads in disbelief, some lowered their wands, others sent another round of spells, this time stunners to keep the wizard down.

They didn't meet their target, instead bounced off a shield Sirius had managed to produce without his wand.

Sweat and blood covered Sirius face as he tried in vain to keep the shield up, the spells weakening him with every hit.

Elizabeth was crying silently, her small hands clinging to her mother's clothes as she tried to protect her from falling debris, in front of her Sirius fell to one knee as the shield was broken and a stunner hit him in the chest.

Rather than knocking him out as would be expected he rose to his feet again.

"Don't you dare come near my family." He gasped out through the pain, blinking away the stray trails of blood that made their way into his eyes.

"_Stuptefy_"

"SIRIUS!"

The single curse hit Sirius and he fell to his knees before falling onto his chest. Putting his hands out on either side he struggled to get back up to his feet, his arms giving way as he failed.

As two Ministry Officials stepped forward Hermione leapt to her feet, stepped over the knocked out Auror and stood over Sirius, glaring in defiance at the oncoming wizards, throwing the frying pan into the crowd resulting in another satisfying _thunk_.

"Step aside ma'am," one said, raising his wand slightly, "we're taking him into custody."

Hermione's eyes widened, "FOR WHAT?"

"Attacking Aurors."

"IT WAS SELF DEFENCE!"

The Officials eyes hardened, "Step aside" he repeated moving closer.

Hermione's chocolate eyes flashed before the Officials and front line of Aurors were knocked off their feet, followed by a cascading effect behind them.

Elizabeth's small arms tightened around Hermione's neck as she tried to get as close to her mother as possible.

They gave no warning this time as Hermione was hit by disarming spells, none of the Officials wanting the Ministers wrath from stunning the child.

Hermione was pushed backwards, her foot snagging and twisting painfully on the Auror on the floor behind her. Falling backwards she collided agonizingly with the wall, a searing pain up her left arm before her shoulder hit the wall with a sickening _pop_.

Sliding down the wall in pain Hermione gripped Elizabeth with both her arms, ignoring the pain through her left. On the floor Sirius was stirring and attempting to get to his feet, Hermione watching in horror as one of the Officials waved his wand causing the black haired wizard to fall painfully back onto the floor.

Getting to her feet Hermione stood bravely as the Official advanced on her, the blue robed wizard indicating for a young Auror to follow.

"Hand her over"

Putting her weight on her good ankle Hermione stared defiantly up at the tall man in front of her.

"No"

Her voice was barely audible as her vision blurred.

"Stupid witch"

Behind the Official Sirius stirred and saw the wizard draw his fist back.

"HERMIONE!" he shouted in warning but Hermione was too dazed to notice as she was punched in the side of the head. Falling, once again to her knees she still clung to her daughter, even as her vision started to darken.

Turning to the Auror beside him the Official gestured down to Elizabeth, "Take her" he ordered before stepping back and casting a binding spell on the struggling Sirius.

"NO!" he shouted desperately trying to break free.

The Auror crouched down beside Hermione and reached out for the wailing child.

"Please" Hermione whispered trying to remain conscious, "Please don't"

The Auror met her chocolate eyes and filled with sympathy.

"Please don't take my daughter"

"I'm sorry" he murmured reaching out and gently pulling Elizabeth's arms from around Hermione's neck.

A stray tear escaped down Hermione's cheek before she lost conscious.

Sirius was already putting his full strength into struggling out of his bonds, six Aurors holding him back from the Auror who gently cradled the screaming Elizabeth in his arms.

"NO, DON'T YOU DARE!" Sirius shouted as they pulled him backwards away from Hermione.

Two Aurors stepped past and picked up the unconscious comrade lifting him out and following behind the group struggling with Sirius.

"WAIT. YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE HER!"

The Official nodded to one of the Aurors who pointed his wand at Sirius and muttered a stunner.

"YOU CANT…." Sirius' pleas were cut off as once again he lost consciousness.

Within minutes the room was empty save Hermione.

And the birds resumed their song.

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Remus opened the door to his and Tonks' chambers hoping to get a quiet lunch with the Metamorph before the afternoon classes began. What he wasn't expecting was aforementioned witch lying on the couch covered by a knitted blanket.

"Tonks?" he asked quietly stepping over and crouching by the long settee.

Tonks opened her eyes and smiled sleepily at the werewolf, "Hey you"

Remus returned the smile, "Hey" he replied reaching up and brushing a stray lock of ebony hair from her face, "not feeling so good?" he asked gently.

Tonks closed her violet eyes and shook her head, "Graham practically threw me out of the first year Transfiguration class, I think this is the first time I've had morning sickness in the morning."

Only three months into her pregnancy Tonks was yet to show any evidence of the child growing inside her, save for nausea and the slight weight gain which she felt the need to remind Remus of constantly.

"I thought something was up" Remus said as he stood to bring Tonks a glass of water, "had a funny feeling in class. Must be my fatherly instincts kicking in"

Tonks cracked her eyes open and glared, "More like husbandly, I'm the one that feels like I'm going to bring up everything I have ever eaten, not the little one"

Remus smiled as he handed Tonks the water, helping her sit up before scooting behind her and allowing her to snuggle into his side, thoughts about food vanishing as he lay his hand protectively over Tonks' stomach.

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Harry paused in their morning twenty kilometer run, Draco slowing down and standing beside him.

"Tired already Potter?" he asked, switching back to Harry's last name as they both often did while training.

Harry shook his head and met the blondes grey eyes, "Something's wrong."

Draco frowned. Harry's instincts were usually bang on and immediately drew his wand and cast his eyes around the small wooded area.

Harry shook his head again when he noticed Draco's movements, "No, not here, we need to get to Hogwarts."

"Ginny?" Draco asked

"I don't know."

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Ginny looked up from her text book on treating miss-cast spells when two wizards dressed in Auror trainee robes burst into the room.

"Harry?" she asked standing up in confusion.

"Ginny. Are you ok?" he asked stepping up to her and pulling her into his arms.

"I'm fine. What's the matter?"

Draco stepped forward. "Harry here has been becoming more and more agitated all morning," pausing, his eyes widened slightly. "Hermione?" he asked

"What?" Ginny stepped back from Harry, "What about Hermione?"

Not answering Harry apparated.

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"Bloody hero-complex" Draco muttered as he walked briskly down the crowded Hogwarts corridors to Remus and Tonks' chambers, Ginny following close behind.

Stepping up to the heavy wooden doors Draco raised his fist and knocked.

"What, not going to barge in?" Ginny muttered at his side.

Draco smirked down at the redhead before Remus opened the door.

"Draco?" he asked, shocked to see the wizard, "Aren't you supposed to be at training."

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"HERMIONE?" Harry called as he apparated into Remus' lounge, still rather glad that he had managed to get passed the wards, "SIRIUS" he called when no one answered.

Running up the stairs he checked both the bedrooms and the bathroom, everything seemed to be normal. Glancing out into the backyard his keen seeker eyesight caught something glistening in the sunlight.

Realising he was looking at broken glass he bolted down the stairs.

"HERMIONE?" he called again as he entered the destruction of the kitchen.

"Oh God" he muttered as he took in the broken windows, either Hermione had become rather angry for some reason or something bad had happened.

He came to the conclusion that it was 'something bad' when he spotted Hermione, slumped against the wall at the end of the kitchen.

"Hermione!" he gasped running through the kitchen, his boots crushing the glass that had come back into the kitchen with Sirius.

Laying Hermione gently flat on the floor he raised his wand "_Ennervate_" he murmured hurriedly.

Gasping in pain Hermione woke, shooting up into a sitting position before crying out and gripping her left shoulder which appeared to be at an awkward angle.

"Its ok Hermione I'm here. We have to get you help" Harry was particularly concerned about her left arm and the ashen colour her skin had taken.

Hermione focused her eyes on Harry for the first time, "They took them" she whispered.

Harry bundled his best friend up in his arms trying not to jolt her as he prepared to apparate back to Hogwarts.

"Who?" he asked quietly

"The Ministry, we have to go to the Ministry"

"We will, I promise, we have to get you looked at first ok?"

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The Minister looked down at the sleeping child in the cot that had been placed in one of the Ministries hidden rooms.

He had the child.

Everything will be fine now.

The black haired blue eyed witch lay peacefully now. A few hours ago she'd been putting her lungs to good use.

"What's this?" he asked the medi-witch that had been assigned to care for the child.

Glancing down at the small platinum bracelet encircling Elizabeth's wrist the medi-witch shook her head.

"It won't come off, we've tried every spell we could think of, that things staying put"

"Well try harder," the Minister ordered taking one more look at the girl before grinning in glee and leaving the room.

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**A/N**: I'm working full time now so I'm not too sure when I'll be able to update next, I was going to make this longer but I don't have time and I think you'd rather have this than having to wait another three or four days…..

Next Chapter: What Sirius is going through….and more…; )….oh and any idea where Elizabeth got her bracelet from?


	21. Every Beat of My Heart

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Chapter 20: Every beat of my Heart

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_The grass was long and moist leaving small spherical droplets of water on his shaggy black coat as Padfoot, wet nose to the ground, hurried through the darkened paddock searching._

_For what? The canine was unsure. But he longed for it, a deep ache in the very centre of his being._

_A flash of aubergine material floated pass causing Padfoot's black ears to perk as the scent of cigar smoke and cherries lingered in the air. _

_Gripped by a sudden instinct to make chase, Padfoot bounded forward, nose once again close to the ground as he desperately fought to keep the trail. The air was growing murky, somewhat of a grey fuzz and Padfoot found it increasingly difficult to place one paw in front of the other. _

_Somewhere in the distance he could make out two voices talking about food…a restaurant of sorts. _

A loud clatter nearby caused Sirius to jolt back into consciousness. The ground was hard beneath him, the grimy ceiling looking down at him from above was an eerie black expanse. For a split second the blood in his veins turned to ice as he was succumbed by memories of Azkaban.

Then, ever so slowly his heartbeat slowed, and a flickering of a small flame across the room materialized on the wall beside him. There were no flames in Azkaban.

Everything there was wet and cold. It also didn't have voices.

Sitting up slowly, pain ripping through his body, Sirius recognized the Auror holding cells for those either awaiting trial or transportation to Azkaban.

As the events of the morning came flooding back Sirius was on his feet in an instant, wincing at the forgotten slashes on the soles of his feet, the small grains of glass digging further into his flesh.

Turning his grey eyes to the two Aurors on duty, neither of which had noticed him, absorbed in their own conversation, Sirius cleared his throat, hiding the smirk that fought to escape as the Aurors jumped.

This was going to be fun.

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Melanie was walking slowly down the corridors of Hogwarts, a large tome in her arms that she'd checked out of the library a few minutes earlier. Wandering past the hospital wing a loud pop made her shriek and drop the book to the floor with a loud thud, the hard cover narrowly missing her toes.

Stunned at first at having the Boy-who-lived apparate right beside her she didn't notice the person in his arms until he turned towards her. She felt her heart skip a beat at the all too familiar curls covering Hermione's face.

"Hey," Harry said, gently but urgently, "What's your name?"

"Melanie," she whispered, slightly in shock.

"Okay Melanie, do you know where Professor Lupin's chambers are?"

Melanie nodded.

"I need you to do me a big favour, can you go and get him for me please? And if he isn't there to go and get Professor Dumbledore."

Melanie nodded and set her face into an expression of rigid determination and took off down the hall as Harry turned into the hospital wing. The heavy tome stayed, now quiet, in its landing place on the floor.

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Small blue eyes started up at a plain white ceiling; there were no lines or cracks, just a plain white canvas of Nothing. No colourful mobile, no hanging snitches or brooms.

White.

Rolling herself over Elizabeth grabbed the bars of her 'crib' and pulled herself up until her head hit something with a soft 'thud'.

Apparently the ceiling was a lot closer than normal.

Falling softly back down onto her behind, Elizabeth brought her hands up to her head as tears began to pool, her small silver bracelet still in place around her wrist.

"Mummy Ow!" she called, into the whiteness.

No Reply.

"Da-ad-dy Ow-ww," she tried, slowly breaking down into sobs, her blue eyes searching the empty room as identical tears trickled down her cheeks.

No Mummy or Daddy were in sight.

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"I can not believe you talked me into doing this."

Draco frowned down at Hermione whom he was supporting as they made their way swiftly through the corridors of Hogwarts.

An hour before, Draco had been with Remus, Tonks and Ginny when a first year with a message from Harry had sent the group to the hospital wing. Sirius and Elizabeth were gone. Harry had Hermione.

Between then and the present moment in time, in which Hermione chose to stumble slightly, Draco had been left alone with an unconscious witch as the others sought Dumbledore. Hermione had proceeded to wake up, take a while to regain her bearings, before coercing the blonde into helping her to the ministry.

He was now regretting his decision to help her before Madame Pomfrey returned from the dungeons, gone off in search of a required potion after being unable to contact Professor Snape. Hermione's dislocated shoulder had been healed, but it still obviously pained her to put much weight on her right ankle and she held her left arm tightly against her chest.

"Hermione, we need to stop," Draco announced, slowing down slightly.

"What?" desperation crept into Hermione's voice, "No, I need to get to Sirius, to Elizabeth, she needs me…"

"Hermione, you're injured and still obviously in pain, at least let me heal what I can."

Hermione glared at the blonde and pulled herself out of his arms.

"If you won't help me, I'll go alone." Hermione whispered harshly and started slowly down the corridor, visibly trying not to wince when she took each step.

Draco followed slowly behind, "You don't have a wand," he pointed out to the older witch, who along with not having a wand had only the clothes she had on from the morning and no shoes.

"I'll be fine." She replied stubbornly, placing one agonizing foot in front of the other.

Draco considered momentarily that stunning the woman walking in front of him may not be the worst decision he would ever make, then again he'd seen Hermione angry before.

Sighing in defeat Draco stepped up to the struggling witch and again began to help her out of the school, the evening sun setting in the distance.

Hermione fought back her tears as the realization that she had never been apart from Elizabeth for this long before hit her.

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The scene in Dumbledore's office may have been amusing to a passer by as the aging headmaster sat in his chair listening to the multitude of voices coming from the three normally calm people in front of him. Harry was pacing backwards and forwards, ever so slowly wearing a hole into Dumbledore's prized rug. Tonks seemed undecided whether or not to sit or stand and chose between the two at her pleasure. Two new streaks of vivid red had appeared through the front of her long black hair, of which the witch was apparently unaware. Remus was sitting next to his fiancée and was attempting to somehow come up with a course of action, something that wasn't going entirely too well to plan when he kept getting interrupted by Tonks and Harry. Ginny was sitting quietly, her hazel eyes deep in thought.

"Look!" Remus said, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the other two, "We are wasting time here, both of you just stop!"

Harry paused midway through another pace, gaping at the normally placid werewolf. Tonks raised one dark eyebrow before sinking back into her chair from where she had just risen. Dumbledore, god damned those blue eyes, looked slightly amused and nodded at Remus to continue as Harry reluctantly took the spare seat on his other side.

"Tonks," Remus started, "You need to go to the Ministry and see if you can find out where Sirius is. Harry, you need to get Draco from the hospital wing and go to the Ministry, both of you can try to use any sort of influence you have there to find out what in Merlin's name has happened and where Elizabeth might be." Remus paused as Harry nodded before turning to Ginny, "Go to St Mungos, if Sirius or Elizabeth have been hurt they may have taken them there." Remus turned again and glanced at Dumbledore, "The Minister?" he asked, not entirely comfortable with telling the headmaster what to do.

Dumbledore smiled slightly and nodded, "I will go and talk to Tomkinson, hopefully the man has some sort of sense left."

"What about you?" Tonks asked Remus, "What are you going to be doing?"

"I'll stay with Hermione for now, the last thing we need is for a Werewolf to be running around the Ministry trying to find out things he shouldn't be."

Dumbledore nodded and handed a portkey to Ginny that would take her to St Mungos and one to Tonks to take to the Ministry. Once the witches were on their way Harry and Remus stood to head for the hospital wing.

Opening the door Harry found himself with an armful of school nurse who seemed rather panicked.

Ignoring the startled look from the messy haired Auror –in-training Madame Pomfrey untangled herself from Harry's arms and heading straight for Dumbledore.

"She's gone, I went to get some potion to stem infections because I couldn't find Severus and I came back and the bed was empty. I looked everywhere headmaster but I can't find her, she shouldn't be walking around like this…"

"Wait," Remus interrupted frowning slightly, "Who's gone?"

Madame Pomfrey turned to the Werewolf, "Hermione."

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Hermione stepped into the Ministry, not caring at the present time if she was swamped by Aurors. But none came, in fact the Ministry itself seemed to be lacking somewhat in the familiar red robed employees.

With Draco beside her Hermione started towards the elevators, once inside she pressed the button that would take her to the Minister.

"I thought we were going to find Sirius?" Draco asked, as the small lights indicated the changing floor levels.

"I need to do this first." Hermione said, not taking her eyes off the door, leaning slightly more on the solid built wizard beside her, the weight of her recent lost bearing down.

A few minutes of elevator music the doors opened and Hermione stepped into the small corridor leading to the Minister for Magic's office and headed for the large wooden doors at the end.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath Hermione detached herself from Draco and opened one of the doors before stepping into the room.

The witch at the desk looked up and gasped in shock at the other witch standing in front of her. Still clad in her jeans and blue singlet from the morning her clothing had numerous blood stains on it while a nasty bruise formed on the side of her face where the official had punched her.

The assistant's eyes darting once more to the barefoot witch before she stood and scurried into the adjourning office. Hermione, not waiting for an invitation followed, her broken arm still clutched to her chest as Draco cautiously trailed behind.

"Ahh Mrs. Black, how can I help you?" The Minister had a cheerful expression on his face as he chose to blatantly ignore the state Hermione was in.

Hermione limped slowly up to the desk, her chocolate eyes darting to the two Officials flanking the Minister, the silence in the room was almost unbearable as Draco followed.

"How can you help me?" Hermione asked, her voice low and even, "How about telling me where my husband is and what in Merlin's name you have done with my one year old daughter!"

"Now, now Mrs. Black, I'm sure once we get you to St Mungos and get you cleaned up we can discuss this matter."

Hermione glared, and Draco found himself wishing the muggle saying 'if looks could kill' was literal.

"I will ask again. Where are they?" Hermione was clenching her jaw in an effort to control her anger as the Minister glanced warily at her hands for a sign of her wand.

"I am not a liberty to discu…"

Hermione slammed her good fist down onto the desk, her blazing eyes and wild hair giving her a Medusa like appearance, "YOU KIDNAPPED MY DAUGHTER AND ARRESTED MY HUSBAND ON FALSE TERMS, TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!"

"I can not and _will_ not, now please calm down or I will have you forcefully removed."

Now it was Draco's turn to narrow his eyes and step forward, positioning himself beside Hermione, his wand in his hand but still at his side.

"Mister Malfoy, it would do you good not to get yourself into anymore trouble." The Minister warned.

"Then tell us where they are."

"No."

"You son of a bitch," Hermione growled, "You are no better than Voldemort, you sick twisted sorry excuse for a man."

The Minister blanched slightly at the mention of the now defeated Dark Lord, but regained his composure quickly. "My dear, petty insults will get you nowhere."

"You have no right in taking a child from her parents." Draco said calmly, fighting back the urge to hit the man in front of him.

"I have every right to do as I please, it was better for everyone that the child be taken into custody."

Hermione's eyes flashed and the Minister found himself flying over his high-backed leather chair and onto the floor, aubergine robes riding up and covering his face.

Hermione looked up from the sight and glared at the Officials who now had their wands trailing on the two standing in front of the desk.

Red faced and spluttering the Minister got to his feet and forcefully pushed his chair out of the way.

"I should have you up for assault."

"It will be more than assault if you don't hurry up and tell me what I need to know!"

"Hermione, I somehow don't think that would be the wisest decision you could make."

Hermione and Draco spun around at the sound of Dumbledore's voice, the Minister cowered back slightly before a satisfied expression appeared on his face which was immediately wiped off when Hermione turned back and sent him a look of pure rage before turning and limping back out the door.

As she pulled up alongside the grey-haired wizard he placed his hand gently on her arm. Murmuring a small thank you Hermione continued on her way, her arm no longer clutched to her chest.

Draco sent Dumbledore a look of mixed guilt and thankfulness as he followed Hermione out of the room.

Left alone with the Minister Dumbledore stepped forward and took a seat.

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Sirius was growing frustrated, locked behind the bars of the small cell. With no wand and general lack of a decent appearance the two Aurors assigned to watch him were not helping his situation at all. He had now lost track of how many times he'd said this single sentence out loud.

"Look, I understand you're doing your job but if you could just floo someone and find out if my wife is okay…"

"Mr Black, just sit down and be quiet…"

"JUST TELL ME WHAT IN MERLINS NAME IS GOING ON!" he shouted as, for the umpteenth time since he had woken he lost his temper.

"Mister Black! You are a prisoner here, start acting like one!"

Sirius opened his mouth to retort but closed it when a warm feeling rushed through his veins.

"Hermione," he breathed, his body relaxing slightly, his firm grip on the bars in front of him slackening.

The Aurors looked at each other in confusion before being alerted to voices in the other room.

"Look just tell us where he is!"

Sirius recognized the young Malfoy's voice and fleetingly wondered where Harry was.

All other thoughts were pushed aside when the far door opened and Hermione limped through, a look of pure determination set in her features.

"Hermione," he whispered again, just loud enough for her to hear it.

As she turned towards him her calm façade crumbled. "Sirius" she breathed, moving swiftly over to the bars.

Sirius reached through and cupped Hermione's face in his hands as warm tears meandered down her cheeks.

"Open the door," Hermione chocked out to the guards flanking her, her own hands shaking the bars slightly.

"Its okay, shhh," Sirius whispered, as he felt a tremor scour through his wife.

"O-open the door!" Hermione repeated desperate to be in Sirius arms.

The Auror who had followed her in complied and Sirius stepped back with the force of Hermione hitting him. Wrapping his arms around her tightly he breathed in her scent as they both sunk to their knees, tears now forming in Sirius' soft grey eyes.

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered, trembling uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

Sirius frowned slightly, his hands tangling in her curls as he attempted to alleviate her shakes, vaguely aware that the door to the cell had been re-locked.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked quietly, interrupting her tirade.

"I let her go," Hermione whispered, burying her face in Sirius' neck. "I let her go…I promised…I let her go…I let her go…I let her go."

Sirius fell back off his knees and leant against the bed, pulling Hermione closer and gently rocking her as she sobbed hysterically. "It's not your fault," he assured, but Hermione wasn't listening.

"I shouldn't have let her go…"

Sirius pushed Hermione away from him and forced her to look into his grey eyes, "Listen to me, it's not your fault, you hear? It's not your fault."

Hermione nodded, tears streaming down her face. Sirius blinked back his own as he pulled her back in towards him as she struggled to take in each breath. He had never, in his long years of knowing Hermione, seen her as distraught as this. And it rocked him to the bone.

"It's not your f-fault," he repeated, resuming the gentle sway as he tried to stay strong for Hermione.

Outside the bars Draco looked away, shocked at the burning sensation in his own grey eyes. Stepping out into the corridor to regain his composure he sent one more look of distaste to the Aurors in the room before walking swiftly off, his training robes from the morning billowing out behind him. He had done all he could for Hermione for the time being and his mind immediately switched to Elizabeth. Entering the elevator he pushed the button for the main floor. He had an old friend to visit.

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Ginny sighed in resignation, she was getting nowhere, with only a trainee clearance she couldn't get access to any of the hospitals records and had yet to find a senior member of the staff willing to help the young redhead.

Stepping up to the fireplace Ginny grabbed a handful of floo powder; she had done all she could here as she flooed to the ministry to locate Harry.

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Tonks left her old office, her team still being faithful had told her that a number of the younger teams had left earlier that morning with two teams of blue robed Ministry Officials. Word was that one person had been taken into custody and was currently in the Auror barracks awaiting trial.

Stepping into the area that held the holding cells Tonks marched past the guards at the main entrance, she may be suspended but at this point in time she didn't care, nor did she heed the calls to stop.

Striding into the room containing the cells Tonks did a double take at the sight in front of her.

Both were similarly clad in jeans, shirts and bare feet with their own share of dark red streaks on clothing and flesh. Sirius was now sitting on the small bed, red eyed with old tear tracks down his cheeks and Hermione's head in his lap, the witch having cried herself to sleep as Sirius stroked his hand through her long curls.

Frowning Tonks stepped up to the side of the cell closest to her cousin, "Sirius, what…how? Hermione was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts."

Sirius' lips twitched slightly, "Would you have stayed put?"

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Remus, after being told to check the hospital wing again by Dumbledore stopped outside the large doors to pick up a discarded book at the door. Frowning at the students' general lack of responsibility he tucked the book under his arm and moved to enter the hospital wing before something niggling at the back of his mind made him hesitate.

Turning on his heel he made his way down into the dungeons.

Instinct made him want to find out where in Merlin's name Snape had got to.

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_Daily Prophet May 20th 2000_

_Prophecy child, Elizabeth Rosalyn Black found!_

_In breaking news the Minister has given a press release stating that the Ministry now has Elizabeth Black, the child from the prophecy, in its care. It has also been released that not only does the Ministry have Sirius Black but also his wife, Hermione Black in custody. _

_In relation to this incident, though unclear if it is for the taking of Elizabeth or the arrest of her father, who along with his wife contributed greatly in the defeat of he-who-must-not-be-name, hundreds of Ministry employees, from low paid office jobs to high ranking officials have gone on strike protesting this course of action by the Minister. This strike has also included hundreds of Aurors, many of whom are claiming Black was wrongly arrested. _

_For more information on the strike turn to page two._

_For more information on the prophecy turn to page five._


	22. Dirty Little Secret

**Disclaimer: Not mine sob…what I would give to own Sirius**

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**Chapter 21: Dirty Little Secret. **

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The air was cold and crisp as a hooded figure dressed in black made their way quickly across the dark grounds of the ancient site, disturbing the thin layer of mist at ground level with their long strides, the pale smoke-like substance forming intricate ribbon-like patterns in the night air. Looking around the figure pulled out a thin stick and muttered something in Latin under their breath while waving their hand around. Out of thin air a small cabin appeared to which they entered swiftly, closing the door behind them with a soft thud that didn't even warrant an echo in the stillness around it. A few moments later the building disappeared and the calmness of the night took over once again.

Fifteen.

Fifteen, figures robed in black.

Fifteen, surrounding a small table in the center of the large circular room that used to house more than a hundred of Voldemorts followers.

Fifteen names written in elegant script on a piece of worn parchment.

Fifteen roles to be played.

Fifteen would take one.

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Robert Tomkinson, Minister for Magic, the Wizard who was supposed to change the wizarding world for the better after the downfall of You-Know-Who, stood silently in the empty corridor looking down into the Mezzanine below.

Hundreds of wizards and witches were present. Students, Parents, Graduates, Alumni, Ministry Employees, Aurors, and the odd Ministry Official, all protesting against one thing.

The arrest of Sirius Black.

The Minister could not understand it. No he _refused_ to understand it, this man was a convicted murderer, innocent or not, why did the people love him so?

Was it his relation to Harry Potter?

Surely not.

Frowning the Minister turned away. There was nothing he could do. The arrest had been made. The trial would go ahead, if found guilty of assault then he would be punished.

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Sirius jolted awake with the sound of a lock sliding. Sometime during the night he had curled around Hermione on the small cot in the cell. From behind her Sirius propped himself up slightly and brushed the curls from her face, noting that she was still asleep he remained where he was.

Two Aurors walked into the cell, one tall and lanky with short blonde hair, the other medium set in height had long brown hair tied behind his back. The taller of the two stepped forward.

"Hello Sirius," he greeted. "My name's Stu, I'm a member of Tonks' team."

Sirius relaxed slightly and nodded for the Auror to continue.

"Tomkinson refuses to drop the charges but he's been having some trouble controlling the outcome of your arrest--"

"What do you mean?" Sirius interrupted.

"More than half of the Aurors have gone on strike, many of them young ones you taught at Hogwarts, that and much of the Ministry has joined them."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "So what is he going to do about it?"

Stu shrugged and crouched down so he didn't have to look down at Sirius, "He's pulled your trial forward to this afternoon, he's hoping that you're found guilty but I've already had witnesses stepping up that are willing to testify."

Sirius nodded.

"What about Elizabeth."

Stu turned his gaze to Hermione who had woken sometime during the conversation. Propping herself up she looked a right mess, long curls normally long and elegant were a tangle, her eyes were red and swollen, her clothes still the disheveled ones from the day before. Sirius sat up with her and Stu's colleague conjured chairs for them to sit in.

"That's a different matter which I think will be dealt better with after Sirius is released, but" he continued as Hermione and Sirius both opened their mouths to protest, "Tonks is working on it, along with Harry and his friends."

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Two young wizards exited the store on Diagon Alley, their vibrant red hair bright in the summer sun. The taller of the two with his long hair tied at the nape of his neck, waited for the shorter redhead to lock the shop.

"Excuse me?"

The two Weasley men turned at the sound of the voice and looked down at a group of young wizards standing behind them.

"Are you closed?" a brunette with freckles scattering along his cheeks asked timidly.

Fred nodded, "We have some stuff we need to do mate."

The young boys eyes flickered to the sign on the door, _'Closed until further notice'_.

"How will we know when you're open again?"

Fred grinned and caught his sibling's eye. Rolling his own pair, the corner of his mouth twitching, Bill answered instead. "I'm sure you'll find out one way or another." Turning to his younger brother he began ushering up the cobbled street, "Come on, we need to get to the Ministry."

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Remus' long strides echoed off the dungeon walls as he made his way back to the Potion Masters room for a second time, the first the evening before had been unsuccessful sending the Werewolf back to his chambers to send owls to anyone they could trust for help.

Raising his fist he knocked on the heavy door in front of him, "Severus?"

The tinkering of glass followed by a smash was the only response he received. Frowning the sandy haired wizard turned the knob and pushed the door open to find Snape blocking his entry, family scowl on his sour face.

"Must you persist in disturbing me, Lupin?"

"Yes."

Remus fought back the Marauder's grin as Snapes frown grew. Behind the pasty, greasy haired man Remus spotted an open trunk on the floor by the ingredients cabinet, immediately the humor vanished.

"Going somewhere?" Remus askedv his expression hardening.

Snapes scowl, if possible, grew and mingled with the familiar scent of the Potions room Remus picked up something else. Fear.

Stepping forward into the room, causing Snape to step back Remus also noted the cauldron and spare robes in the trunk on the floor.

"Severus?"

"Get out," Snape growled.

Remus glared. "It just seems a little odd that you would choose this time to go away, with all that's been happening."

"You know fully well Dumbledore has cancelled the rest of the terms classes, being only a few weeks till the exams, the little brats can take care of themselves. Why don't you just scurry back to the shell you call a home Werewolf."

Snape moved to push past the Lycan, but Remus blocked his way, feral amber eyes flashing dangerously.

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"Where's Blondie?"

Harry glanced at Fred, who along with Bill had just joined himself and Ginny at the Ministry.

"Bumped into him last night," Harry answered, "Said he knew someone that might be able to help find Elizabeth."

"Who?"

Harry shrugged as they approached the double doors that would take them through the entrance of the Ministry over to the elevators. "He said he couldn't say, it's not unusual for Draco to hold back on some things."

"And you trust him?" Bill asked, somewhat skeptically.

Harry nodded, as he opened the doors, "This is Elizabeth, and if there's one person in this world Draco cares the most for it's her."

"HARRY POTTER, any comment on the arrest of your Godfather?"

Harry blinked as camera flashes flickered in front of him, leaving small imprints on his eyelids.

"What's your view on the actions of the Ministry?"

"Do you know the location of the Child?"

"How are you involved?"

Harry and the others began to push their way through the throngs of reporters, Harry in the lead as Fred and Bill flanked either side of Ginny.

"How do you feel about Mrs. Black choosing to join her husband in custody?

"Is it true you, Mister Malfoy and Auror Tonks knew about the child and didn't report it?"

"Are Mr and Mrs Black to fight the Ministry for parental rights?"

"How do you feel about your Godfather returning to Azkaban?"

Harry bit back comments that would surely be taken entirely out of context as he noted the flickering of quick quotes quills in the crowd.

Reaching the elevators the groups stepped in and the doors closed, catching his breath Harry leant against the back wall.

"Oh to be Harry Potter," Fred commented, a wry grin on his face.

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Draco walked cautiously up the cobbled footpath leading to the large house in font of him. This place was extremely difficult to find, if you didn't know where to look you could take months just wandering. Or all night as Draco had done. After all, a family in the intelligence business did not want to be easily found.

Lucky for Draco he knew where to look.

Reaching the front door unscathed and eyeing the lion head knocker with a small amount of distain, he reached out and brought it down, the resulting noise echoing through the large house.

Standing for a moment staring at the door, Draco wondered if anyone actually lived there anymore. Turning he looked out at the morning sun as it rose over the trees in the distance. Twenty four hours she had been alone. Twenty four hours.

"Draco?"

Draco turned to see his old school mate standing at the now open door.

"Hello Blaise, I need your help."

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"Hello Percy."

The redhead who had been sitting quietly at his desk, staring into oblivion with no one else around, jumped at the sudden noise.

Spinning in his chair he flinched slightly at the four angry faces staring down at him.

"Go away." Percy replied spinning back around, "I'm busy."

Fred looked down at the empty desk, "Yeah right," and proceeded to grab his brother's chair and pull it out from under the desk the small castors scraping slightly.

Harry stepped in and leant against Percy's desk while the rest of his remaining siblings crossed their arms.

"Why did you do it Percy?" Bill asked, staring in shame down at his brother.

"Do what?"

Ginny glared, "You know very well what, you where there at Christmas, you know that Remus and Tonks had a house…"

Percy frowned in confusion but was interrupted by Fred before he could get a word in.

"Was the prospect of an Order of Merlin too much, you had to sacrifice a little girl and her family to get it? You make me sick."

Percy got to his feet to defend himself, "If I had an Order of Merlin do you think I'd be sitting at my desk doing _nothing_? Someone got there first, so instead of jumping to conclusions maybe you should be looking elsewhere. I didn't tell the Minister where to find Elizabeth, I had, up until a few moments ago, forgotten the Lycanthrope had a house!"

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"I didn't tell you about our house."

Snape flinched slightly and stepped back from Remus, whose voice had more poison in it than the Potions Master had ever heard.

"You must have mentioned it in passing."

"No," Remus answered stepping closer, "Both Tonks and I agreed to only tell a select group, how did you find out Snape?"

Snape just glared.

"You overhead Ginny and I in the corridor didn't you Snivellus? You told the Minister about Sirius and Hermione's whereabouts." Remus stepped closer causing Snape to back into the wall, "You sick son of a bitch, you've held that child in your arms, you've seen her with Sirius and Hermione, and you do _THIS_?"

Snape raised his wand, "I wouldn't move any closer Lupin or I'll have you up for assault, and don't think I wont. It wont be Azkaban for you Half Breed, its straight to the lab and a nice little injection of silver, after all who would believe an Order of Merlin recipient over a mere Creature."

Remus hesitated, "Go on then, run like the coward you are, Order of Merlin or not you will not be safe as long as Elizabeth has people who care for her wellbeing."

Turning on his heel Remus exited the room, the vials of potions along the walls shattering as he unleashed his anger on anything but the Snivelling little snitch behind him.

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Hermione shrugged on a pair of robes Tonks offered her as the Auror mulled around her desk, memos flying back and forth as Tonks gained all the help she could get. Looking up in unision the pair watched as Harry, Ginny, Fred and Bill wandering through the door.

"Hermione," Harry greeted with a wry smile, "You should be in bed."

Hermione gave Harry a steady look before turning and greeting the others, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"How's Sirius?" Harry asked, as Ginny and her brothers went to talk with Tonks.

Hermione sighed, "As well as can be expected. Harry…"

The taller wizard ushered her away from the others to a quiet corner.

"We need her back Harry." Hermione's brown eyes held his own emerald ones.

"I know. We'll get her back." Pulling his best friend into his arms Harry continued, "I promise."

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The first thing Sirius looked for when entering the small court room was Hermione. Seeing her sitting off to the side, Harry and Remus on either side of her, Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. She was his rock at this moment, no matter what else was going on he knew the only place he needed her right now was in the same room.

The room was also filled with friends, official justice employees, three judges and the Minister, as well as a scattering of reporters at the back. Dumbledore took his seat beside Sirius at the small table provided. Sirius himself was still dressed in the clothes from the day before, jeans, shirt and no shoes and he winced slightly in pain as he took his seat.

Waiting for Sirius to sit before beginning, one of the Judges, a grey haired witch with a large black pointed hat nodded in greeting before signaling the room to silence.

"We are here today for the case brought against one Professor Sirius Black charged at the assault of Ministry Officials and Aurors."

Glancing up the Judge continued, "How do you plea Professor?"

Swinging his stormy eyes to the Minister sitting off to the side, Sirius answered, "Not Guilty."

All three judges nodded and the proceedings continued.

First up was an Auror with bandages around his head, his representative turning to Sirius.

"Mr. Black, do you recognize this man?"

Sirius shook his head, "No."

In the audience Hermione recognized him and scowled.

The short squat man that had asked the question continued, "He received this severe head injury while on orders to obtain something from your possession and you say you don't recognize the man."

"No." Sirius repeated.

"Not from the floor of _your_ kitchen?"

"Oh," Sirius answered, "Sure I remember him, but I can't say I know how he came to be on the floor though. I was outside at the time having just been sent flying through the kitchen windows and out onto the yard."

"Maybe your wife knows something about it then?"

Sirius was on his feet in an instant, slashes to the soles forgotten, "You leave her out of this, I'm on trial here, not her."

The Judges agreed with Sirius and the squat wizard ran out of questions.

"I have a question."

Everyone in the room turned to who had spoken.

"Go ahead Minister." The blonde wizard seated beside his fellow judges prompted.

"Not only did you attack Aurors you did not bring your child forward, that on its own serves a danger not only to those in your kitchen yesterday morning but the entire wizarding community, therefore maybe a harsher punishment for your crimes is needed. Judges?"

The Judges turned back to Sirius who was losing his temper.

"Professor Black, anything to add?"

Sirius did a double take at the anger in the Judges eyes. Not for the fact that it was there, but for the fact that it was pointed in the Ministers direction. Suddenly he felt a bit more confident.

"She is my daughter," he replied to the Minister, "I have a natural right to protect her. From Death Eaters to the Ministry." Turning back to the Judges Sirius continued. "May I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

Turning to the Minister Sirius glared, "Firstly, you have no right taking Elizabeth from my wife and I, secondly, self defence is not assault, and thirdly, what is your version of harsher punishment Minister? If you remember rightly I was in Azkaban for twelve years, it doesn't get any harsher than that."

"Maybe you'd like to go back again Black." The Minister shot back.

"You have no right to send me back there when an apology was all I got last time, a measley 'sorry for falsely imprisoning you'. No 'Sorry we took twelve years of your life because we didn't bother with a trial', no public apology just a little corner of the prophet proclaiming my innocence, the Ministry didn't even admit its mistake." Sirius paused, "There was no 'Sorry for inflicting you with Dementors for twelve years' making me relive over and over again the events of my life that caused me the most agony!"

"I have all the right in the world Mr. Black, you're lucky you are even getting a trial, convicted murders' should not get a second chance."

Sirius turned to the Judges, "With all due respect, I think this has been covered before."

"You are correct Mr. Black," Turning to the Minister the grey haired witch continued, "Minister Tomkinson do you have any hard evidence to suggest that Sirius assaulted Ministry employees?"

The Minister, sitting pompously in his aubergine robes stayed silent.

"Very well then, in my personal opinion this has been a waste of time, clearly the public disagrees with these charges, and so do I. Therefore it is _my_ right," the Judge turned to the Minister and gave him a pointed look, "To release Professor Sirius Black from custody and drop all the charges with no further questioning. You are free to go Sirius."

Sirius nodded and Dumbledore stood, "Doesn't look like you needed me after all."

Sirius smiled as Hermione walked swiftly over to him, "You're always welcome Albus. Excuse me, Madame Judge?"

Over the hustle of the room the grey haired witch looked up from her parchment and at Sirius, "Yes?"

"What about our daughter."

Her eyes softened as she gazed down at Sirius and Hermione who was now standing in his embrace.

"I'm sorry Sirius and Hermione, I cant do anything about that here," She glanced at the retreating back of the Minister and waited till he was out of the door, "Come to my office tomorrow, I'll see what we can do about it."

Sirius nodded, "Thank you."

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Returning to Hogwarts for the night, everyone in much need of sleep, the group decided to bunk down in Sirius and Hermione's old chambers, only one person missing.

"Where's Draco?" Hermione asked wearily as Sirius opened the door allowing, Harry, Ginny, Fred, Bill, Remus and Tonks to file in after the pair.

Harry gave Hermione a wry grin, "He's out there somewhere. Helping."

Sirius wandered over to Remus who had sat down in one of the chairs, exhaustion etched into his features.

"Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"Something's on your mind, care to share?"

Remus glanced up at his friend, "As long as you promise to let it go for the time being."

Sirius nodded.

"I know who told the Ministry where to find you."

Sirius' eyes hardened and he got a familiar look in his features that made Remus pause.

"Keep going Remus," Sirius warned.

"You won't go after them?"

Sirius shook his head, "I can't promise you that I won't go after them at all, but I can promise that it won't be till I get Elizabeth back."

Remus nodded, knowing that Elizabeth was Sirius' priority.

"It was Snape."

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	23. Kidnap an Angel

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the little bunny in my head that gave me this chapter, which was written eagerly before Chapter 21…So no Harry Potter. Or Bon Jovi**

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**Chapter 22: Kidnap an Angel**

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Sirius woke suddenly, the feeling of dread seeping through his clothes, chilling him to the bone. It took a moment for Sirius to realize that the seeping through his clothes and the coldness around him was snow. Above him the night sky was alight with millions of stars, like fireflies, stuck in the blueish-black thing.

Frowning Sirius sat up slowly. The environment around him was somewhat familiar, the gently sloping of the land, nearby clumps of trees, leaves lost to the winter leaving boughs covered in white. To his left was the Forbidden Forest, a dark looming presence of twisted tree limbs, waiting for unsuspecting victims to wander into its midst.

Standing slowly Sirius took a minute to gain his bearings using the familiar landscape and night sky, his astronomy lessons once again being put to good use.

Wrapping his cloak firmly around his shoulders to starve off the cold Sirius started the short trek to Hogwarts, which he presumed was only a few hills away. He should reach Hogsmead first. Maybe there he could find out what was going on. It wasn't everyday you woke up in a snow drift with no idea how you came to be there, nor the fact that when he had last remembered it was summer, not the middle of winter.

Cresting the hill Sirius looked down on what should have been a nicely lit town ready to celebrate the festive season. Instead he looked wide eyed at a deserted ghost town. Most of the buildings had been gutted by fire and were mere shells of what they had once been.

Stumbling slightly down the slope towards Hogsmead, Sirius slipped on an icy patch causing his arms to flail as he tried to catch himself from falling. Regaining his balance he continued down the hill and onto the main street.

The place was a ruin. There was no warm glow of lights from the windows. No laughter of young children or the gossip of adults. No carolers on the corner. It was empty.

The buildings were black and burnt, occasional scorch marks in the side giving hint to what had occurred.

A piece of parchment fluttered across the street like a tumble weed and Sirius made a desperate grab at it. Clutching it between his fingers Sirius turned his back into the sharp wind so that it wouldn't take away his prize as he opened the parchment up.

It was the front page of the Daily Prophet. No date was visible, the edges having burnt away, but the headline was clearly discernible.

_**Witch runs havoc on Wizarding Community**_

_The Wizarding community is in a state of panic. Not once in history, not Grindelwald or Voldemort, has malice like this been seen. The panic is widespread all over Britain through the Magical and Muggle communities alike. Hundreds are dead, thousands injured as…_

Sirius squinted and held his wand up to gain more light but the rest of the page was in ruin. Something bad had happened and for the life of him he couldn't remember what.

Turning back into the wind Sirius made his way through the town, his boots splashing through puddles as he wrapped his arms around himself to ward off the chilling wind that made his grey eyes water.

Passing the Three Broomsticks, the door creaking slightly before the wind caught the edge and sent it banging into the side of the building, Sirius turned away from the desolation and made his was up the hill. Just a few more climbs and he would be on Hogwarts grounds.

Growing tired of the climb Sirius shifted into Padfoot, the going easier on four legs instead of two.

Cresting the next hill Sirius recognized the tall tree across the valley and up on the ridge, one more hill after that point and then the grounds of Hogwarts. Picking up his pace slightly he made his way down, black on white, through the snow.

The stench hit him first, Padfoots nose far more sensitive than his own. Glancing up the hill from the base Padfoot whined as he spotted four figures hanging from the boughs, two on one side of the trunk, two on the other. Placed there as a warning to others it was on the quickest path to Hogwarts. Changing back Sirius decided he was better off without the smell and began to once again climb on two feet. His socks wet as the deep snow trickled down his boots.

Keeping his eyes resolutely in front of him Sirius made it to the top of the hill, the collar of his cloak pulled up against his nose and mouth to keep away the stench coming from the two bodies nearest him.

Cocking his head to the side Sirius heard screams and explosions coming from the direction of Hogwarts.

Frowning in confusion Sirius momentarily forgot about the looming figures beside him until one of the ropes creaked chillingly in the wind. Without thinking Sirius turned and looked up, the blood draining from his face and bile rising as he fell to his knees and vomited in the snow.

Remus' once frighteningly bright amber eyes no longer held their glow, the werewolf finally held at bay in death. His arms were tied behind his back, dried blood on his hands evident of his struggle to get free of his bonds. The tear tracks in the grime on his face could mean anything, fear, anger, frustration…grief.

Grief for not being able to protect the woman beside him.

Tonks' violet eyes were the same, the spark of life once so vibrant, was gone. Her bright pink hair stayed vivid even in death. Her wrists were similar to Remus', as were the rivulets of tears down her heart shaped face.

Gasping for breath that would not come Sirius leant against the trunk of the tree in support, shuddering as bursts of air attempted to reach his lungs.

Another creak of rope reminded Sirius of the other two. Who were they? Did he know them also?

Blinking back the tears of sorrow that were rolling down his face Sirius closed his eyes and made his way around the tree, bringing his eyes up before moaning and sinking to the ground, his heart tearing in his chest.

Lily's gift to Harry, her vivid emerald eyes, had once again been extinguished. His messy hair whipped around his now pale face in the wind. He had put up his usual fight; his face was barely recognizable, save the eyes and god forsaken scar, the rest was a mess of bruises and gashes. Unlike Remus and Tonks, Harry had managed to free his hands. The skin of his wrists hanging limply by his sides was raw, the ropes having cut almost to the bone in his attempt to get free, two small patches of red embedded in the snow below as a result.

Tearing his gaze away from his Godson Sirius turned to Harry's companion. Long Weasley hair fluttered in the wind, escaping from the plait down her back. Ginny's eyes were closed, her face white like porcelain, lips blue and cold.

Lying down on the ground in the snow Sirius moaned in agony, grief racking his body.

Why?

They were not supposed to be dead, hanging from the sky for the world to see.

For him to see.

It had been merely hours since Sirius had last seen all four. This was _wrong_.

Tears warming his cheeks as he lay in the snow, Sirius was dimly aware of his fingers beginning to numb in the biting cold. Trying once again to control his breathing he struggled to his feet.

Reaching out Sirius brushed his fingers along Harry's boot, the body swaying slightly by the touch. Pulling out his wand Sirius murmured a cutting charm and the rope above Harry's head came apart as Sirius caught his Godsons limp body in his arms, fresh sobs racking his body.

Laying Harry down beneath the tree Sirius did the same for Ginny, Tonks and Remus. Gasping when he had his best friend's cold limbs in his arms, he had lost them all now, he was the last one. The last Marauder.

Placing a preservation and concealment charm on his four friends Sirius took a shaky breath and turned his gaze to the direction of Hogwarts, the distant sounds of a battle again reaching his ears.

Stumbling down the small incline he began to make his way up the final slope.

Making the crest Sirius stopped grey eyes wide as he took in the scene before him. Screams were mingled with explosions and bolts of colourful light as once again, battle befell the grounds of Hogwarts. The castle itself was on fire, flames lapping the old stone as the wood of the interior burned.

Holding his wand at the ready Sirius made his way down onto the fields, streams of scarlet staining the snow. People were calling all around him, begging for help. But Sirius, not knowing what was happening, continued on his way, his mind set on one thing.

Hermione.

Startled by an explosion in the Astronomy Tower, Sirius paused and looked up. He fluttered like a falling bird, limbs twisting in the air as he fell.

Sirius didn't see Dumbledore hit the ground, there were too many people in the way, too many bodies.

Turning to the entrance hall Sirius found her. She was alone, battling back a handful of Death Eaters…or whoever they were. She was bleeding from a large gash on her forehead and her lip was badly split as she kept her weight off one leg.

Running, Sirius was unaware of what was happening around him. All he needed to do was to get to Hermione.

Shrill screams that were suddenly silenced caused Sirius' eyes to flicker to the left.

A woman was walking through the bodies, no wand in hand, and her lips were not moving but people buckled and fell dead as she passed. She had long black hair that whipped up somewhat elegantly in the wind. She was tall and slim with a certain set to her shoulders that was familiar to Sirius.

Sirius picked up speed when he saw where she was headed.

Hermione had seen it too, her bold eyes set on the figure as it approached her. Sirius gasped as he watched her lower her wand and shake her head, unnoticed tears falling down her cheeks.

"HERMIONE!" He called out, but she didn't blink; her gaze didn't falter from the figure in front of her.

Tripping Sirius stumbled slightly before regaining his footing and running as fast as he could to Hermione.

He was almost there, the emotional pain on her face was remarkable.

She was meters away from Sirius when it happened, a soft "I love you," left her lips before the light in her chocolate eyes faded. She hadn't even turned to him; it wasn't Sirius that she had spoken to, her attention focused solely on the woman in front of her.

Sirius caught her as she crumbled.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no" He sobbed, "Hermione, wake up sweetheart." Tears were streaming down his face as a deep moan escaped his lips. The pain of finding the others under the tree was nothing compared to this, he felt like he was being ripped in two, blood pounded in his ears, and he began to shake uncontrollably… "Wake up. Please wake up." His cold fingers brushed along her cheeks, as if he could transfer the life from himself into her, just to save her, to see the light in her eyes once more.

Have her speak his name.

Footfalls behind him made him look up. Gently laying Hermione down brining his lips shakily to her forehead he managed somehow to get to his feet and turned to face the one…the one who had taken her away from him. His beautiful Hermione.

It was like looking into a mirror. Her ebony hair cascaded down her back in long silky waves and she had the strong set jaw line and high cheekbones that many associated with his heritage.

But her eyes. Her eyes were crystal blue. The colour painfully familiar, the emotion not. Impassive pools of blue stared back at him void of any emotion as a cool smile formed on her lips.

"Hello Daddy."

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**GASP**


	24. Something for the pain

**Disclaimer: Not mine…none of it :(**

**This Chapter is dedicated to Emily (Raspberri13). She sent me (in the actual mail) beautiful Bon Jovi photos from the TWO concerts she went to in Canada, and myself being down here in NZ where they probably wont come they were very much appreciated, along with the wrist band ;). You are a very lucky person Emily to have managed to get that close, thank you so much for the photos.**

**In other news, all your reviews for the last chapter were very amusing, but most of you hit the nail on the head, well done ;)**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 23: Something for the pain.**

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**May 22nd**

Sirius' vision clouded and blood pounded in his ears as slender hands touched his chest.

"_Sirius."_

A feminine voice.

Panicking Sirius pushed blindly, hands making contact with a body before there was a loud crash.

"Sirius!"

A deeper more masculine and somewhat familiar voice this time.

Sirius shook his head, trying to stop the pounding as strong hands gripped his arms.

"Sirius! Open your eyes!"

Sirius' eyes flew open and he gasped, struggling back out of the grip, familiar amber eyes looking at him in concern.

Backing up quickly Sirius tripped over a chair behind him, heedless to the fall and scooted backwards until his back hit the wall. The cuts on his feet reopened with the erratic movement and trickles of scarlet dripped slowly down his soles. His breathing was rapid, eyes wide moving from one person to the next. _"Hello Daddy"_ ringing through his mind.

The door to his and Hermione's room was open; Remus having rushed in after the crash, Tonks followed swiftly behind and helped Hermione up from the floor where she had landed.

"Sirius?" Remus stepped forward, Harry and the Weasley siblings keeping their distance.

Sweat beaded down Sirius' face, mingling with the tears. His pupils were large as fear gripped him, his hands shaking as he huddled in the corner.

Sirius looked up at Remus as he slowly processed what was in front of him.

"Remus?" Sirius whispered.

Hermione walked slowly up to the black haired wizard on the floor and crouched down beside him, reaching out slowly to touch his face.

"It's ok Sirius," she murmured, trying to remain calm, "just take a deep breath."

Sirius focused his gaze on the witch in front of him. There were no open wounds save for the bruise on the side of her face, there was no blood and life flowed through the eyes gazing back at him.

"Hermione," Sirius breathed, reaching out to her, his face cracking as his fingers traced down her cheek, "Oh Merlin."

Sobs racked Sirius' body as Hermione pulled him close, holding his head in the crook of her neck as she stroked the silky black hair, "its ok," she whispered rocking slightly to calm him down. Meeting Remus' eyes the werewolf nodded and left the room with the others as Sirius broke down in Hermione's arms.

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_The world was bustling all around him or all above him as he felt his surroundings tower above him, his left hand clasped firmly in his father's larger one. _

"_It should be around here somewhere," his father murmured, "it's been a while," he said, grinning down at his sandy haired son. _

"_Over there." True to his slight size the young boy's voice was quiet but after years of listening to his son his father's ears were well trained and he looked to where his son was pointing, just catching the tail end of a Hogwarts student running through the barrier. _

"_All right then, would you like to go first?"_

_The young boy nodded and, determination set in his gracile features he made sure the way was clear before running at the barrier, hoping on the way that his blood would see him through. _

_Sure enough the barrier appeared to dissolve around him and his skin tingled slightly with the feel of magic as he slowed to a stop on platform nine and three quarters, his father coming up to stand just behind him. _

"_Well then Son, are you all ready to go?"_

"_I think so," the slight crack in his voice betraying his nervousness. _

_Bending down to one knee beside his son he lay a hand on the small boys shoulder, "You'll be ok, don't do anything you don't want to do, do what you think is right"_

"_All right," was the quiet reply._

_Ten minutes later and the small boy was seated in a carriage by himself, a large book he'd brought at Diagon Alley engulfing his small lap when the door slid open and a bigger boy with ebony hair wandered in. _

_Nodding in greeting he stored his trunk and took a seat across from the boy and his book. _

"_Hi." The dark haired boy greeted. _

_The sandy haired boy glanced up and looked around to check to see if the person across from him wasn't addressing someone else. The dark haired boy picked up on this and smiled, his shocking grey eyes sparkling with hidden humor. _

"_I'm Sirius Black," he said, offering the small boy a hand. _

"_Remus," The small boy answered ducking his head back down, he'd heard of the Black family and his stomach knotted at the thought of sharing a carriage with one of them for the morning. _

"_Remus." Sirius said, testing the name out on his tongue, "is that it, just 'Remus?'"_

_Remus shook his head and for the first time met Sirius eyes. "Lupin, Remus Lupin."_

"_Well then, Remus Lupin" Sirius replied, startled at the intensity behind the amber in front of him, "it's nice to meet you."_

_A hint of a smile showed at the corner of Remus' mouth but it didn't grow further, "Nice to meet you too" he replied quietly. _

_Sirius opened his mouth to continue the conversation when they were interrupted by another dark haired boy falling into the carriage at their feet. _

_Sirius grinned down at the floor and Remus stared at the magnetism that one smile possessed, this boy would be able to get out of many things with that smile. _

"_Have a nice trip? Be sure to send a postcard next time"_

"_HaHa, very funny."_

_Remus looked down at the boy on the ground as he began to pull himself up, he was about the same height as Sirius sitting across from the young Lycan but that's where the similarities ended, instead of straight sleek ebony hair, this boys black hair looked like a birds nest and wire rimmed glasses framed his eyes. Remus changed his opinion again when he saw the hazel eyes behind the glasses, he had another similarity with Sirius Black, the eyes held a mischievousness waiting to be unleashed. _

"_Hi, James Potter." He said offering his hand to Sirius._

"_Sirius Black, first year?"_

_James Potter raised an eyebrow at the name but kept his mouth shut and nodded, "you?"_

"_Yep, and if his size is anything to go by so is Remus here."_

_Remus glanced at Sirius in shock, not expecting to be pulled into the conversation, content to sit quietly by himself. _

_James looked over at Remus, his eyes trailing over his small form, "are you supposed to even be here, you don't look eleven"_

_Remus glanced down at his lap, his book now resting beside him on the chair, not sure how to respond to the statement. _

"_Ow!" Remus looked up to find James rubbing his arm and Sirius glaring at him._

"_Did your parents not teach you manners?"_

_James glared back, "Sorry Mister Black," his expression changed to that of mock fear, "please don't curse me or my family, please Master Black."_

_The two boys held each others eyes for a moment before their faces split into identical grins and they began to laugh, rather loudly in Remus' opinion. _

_Catching his breath Sirius looked over at the smaller boy who was shyly watching them, "You know what Remus Lupin?"_

_Remus shook his head, confused slightly at the odd question._

"_My first promise as a Hogwarts student, I'm going to make you smile, laugh even by the end of the day."_

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Remus stared into the empty fireplace, no longer looking younger than his age, the years of suffering the Full Moon made him look instead older than he was grey streaks of quicksilver running through his sandy hair. He thought about his friend in the other room, the Young Sirius Black had failed his first promise as a Hogwarts student unable to get the timid Remus to truly smile let alone laugh on their first day at Hogwarts. But in true Sirius Black fashion that didn't set him back, it only made him that much more determined, and Remus was happy to remember that Sirius was the first person, that wasn't his mum or dad, to make him smile.

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Hermione glanced over her shoulder one more time at Sirius asleep on the bed before pulling the door behind her, leaving it open slightly as she limped into the lounge. Remus was sitting on the couch staring into the fireplace, his amber eyes moving to her as she sat down at the other end of the couch.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked quietly, tucking her feet up beneath herself.

Remus smiled slightly, "Just thinking about my first encounter of the Sirius kind."

Hermione tried to mirror Remus' small smile but failed and averted her eyes, the chocolate orbs scanning the room, "Where are the others?"

When Remus didn't reply Hermione brought her eyes back round again resting on the Werewolf, his own eyes fill with concern.

"They went to get something to eat. Are you alright Hermione?"

"Sirius is sleeping, I should go back. Stay with him…" she replied avoiding his question and glancing back at the door she'd just come through.

"Hermione," Implored Remus, as he reached out and gently laid his hand on her arm, shocked at the constant trembling emitting from under his hand.

Bridging the small gap between the pair Remus took Hermione in his arms as she began to sob.

"He was so-so scared, he didn't e-even t-tell me what ha-happened…I've never…never seen him so-…I can't do this without him beside me…"

Remus stayed silent, gently holding Hermione as she cried into his chest.

"I don't know how…how long I can…" Hermione's hands increased their grip on Remus' robes, "I need her. I need my baby in my arms."

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Draco sat back in the high backed chair he was in and brought his hand up to rub his grey eyes before glancing away from the array of parchments on the desk to the night sky looking back at him from the tall window opposite.

He was currently in one of the Zabini's many guest rooms, refusing to leave the manor until he was given an answer. Since Draco had arrived he had spent the morning talking with Blaise and his father, then the afternoon in pouring over the parchments in front of him.

Looking back down at the parchments, the inky script blurring as his eyes stung with fatigue Draco started to sort them into a pile, he couldn't get anything done without some rest.

A popping noise made Draco pause and look up, the tips of a house elf's ears visible above the desk. Leaning forward so he could see the creature Draco raised an elegant eyebrow and waited for it to speak.

"M-mister Malfoy sirs, Master is wanting you in the study"

Draco barely acknowledged the stuttering elf in front of him before rushing out of the room.

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The halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were silent in the early hours of the morning as five people, in an array of flannel pyjamas made their way down the corridor towards the kitchen.

In front were three Weasley siblings, Bill and Fred flanking their younger sister as they spoke quietly to one another, most likely about what had just transpired in Sirius and Hermione's chambers.

Behind them followed Harry and Tonks, the latter of which was still sporting two vivid red streaks through her ebony hair. The Metamorphmagus had been torn between staying with her fiancé and the prospect of a cheese toasted sandwich with a side of chocolate and vanilla ice-cream that her three month pregnancy craved. After seeing Remus' eyes drift into their own little world of thoughts she joined the others. At present Tonks cast a worried look at Harry.

"Are you alright Harry?" she asked quietly.

Harry's green eyes glanced up and focused on Tonks as if only just realizing she was walking beside him.

"He saw something. Didn't he"

Tonks swung her violet eyes forward again and sighed, "I don't know."

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Draco paused at the Zabini Manor study before raising a hand to knock.

"It's open Draco." Came the reply from within.

The blonde wizard stepped in and nodded at Blaise and his father before taking a seat.

"Draco," Blaise started, "This is a big ask, even for us."

Draco nodded, "I understand, but it's a big situation, if money is an issue you know I have enough of it"

Blaise shook his head, "There's no problem with money. But Draco, you're asking us to find this child, for starters it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, secondly, it could be Azkaban not only for us if we get caught, but for anyone else involved."

"I understand that," Draco replied, trying to keep his temper in check, "I also know that you two are the best in the business, I wouldn't have come if I didn't think you could do it."

Blaise looked down at the blueprints on the large desk before sharing a look with his father. "Finding a protected room within the Ministry with a case this big is all but impossible Draco."

Draco opened his mouth to argue when the rich tenors of Mister Zabini interrupted him.

"But," he paused and smiled at Draco, "A Zabini never backs down from a challenge."

Draco let out a sigh of relief, "so you'll do it, you'll find Elizabeth for me?"

Blaise nodded, "As long as you are aware of the consequences."

"I am, but you need to know that no-one else had anything to do with this, you'll leave her parents out of it."

"Of course."

"Good, one more thing, Elizabeth has a bracelet, by right the Ministry shouldn't have been able to remove it, only Elizabeth or her parents can, it has a series of protection spells on it as well as a modified tracking charm…"

Mister Zabini looked up suddenly at Draco, "Why don't you use that then?"

Draco sighed, "I didn't have a chance to activate it, or tell Sirius or Hermione the spell."

"So if we find her," Blaise reasoned, "we activate the charm so if they move her we know where she is"

"Exactly"

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Hermione woke to the sound of rain hitting the window and an empty bed beside her. Sitting up and looking around she saw Sirius sitting at the window seat leaning against the wall with his left leg bent at the knee and left arm resting over it as he gazed into the grey abyss outside.

Moving over to him Hermione sat down and positioned herself in his arms as he moved to accommodate her.

"Are you real?" Sirius whispered as his arms tightened around her.

"Yes," Hermione whispered in reply, "Sirius…"

"Everyone was gone. There was no one…alive" Sirius looked down at Hermione for the first time; his eyes brimmed with emotion as they relived the memory of the night before. "We have to get her back. She wasn't our little girl, not my little Munchkin, and she took everything." Sirius paused as he saw realization dawn in Hermione's chocolate eyes, "She took you."

Hermione swallowed, "What about the others?"

Sirius broke eye contact and looked out the window, battling with himself about how much he should tell his wife.

"Sirius, you need to tell me, I need to know what's at stake"

Without looking back at Hermione Sirius told her, "She wont need a wand to cause harm, the emotionless eyes the colour of the sky will do that job for her. She will have no respect for the dead, hanging them as warnings to other. Hanging those who have held her in their arms, who have sung to her, made her laugh. She'll be shell of our daughter; there will be nothing of us left in her."

Hermione shifted in Sirius' arms, "I think I'm going to be sick."

Sirius loosened his grip as Hermione stood and fled to the bathroom

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**Sorry, not the best chapter but my muse has run away and I'm having trouble locating it…...I'm officially putting out an APB on my Muse!**

**Also, sorry I haven't updated regularly, I would just like to point out that Harry Potter, or this fanfiction does not come first and foremost in my life, I am a University Student with a part time job, so I update when I can. Thank you all who have been patient. **


	25. I'll sleep when I'm dead

Disclaimer: None of it is mine. Not Harry Potter or Bon Jovi sigh

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**Chapter 24: I'll sleep when I'm dead**

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_22nd May 2000_

The Atrium of the Ministry was a sight to behold. On one side were protesters against the removal of Elizabeth from her parents care. On the other were supporters of the Ministry. In the middle witches and wizards who were still working made their way across the expanse to and from their lunch breaks.

In the mass Sirius and Hermione tried to make their way across unnoticed. A feat almost impossible with both still limping slightly, pallor faces with the odd bruise and Sirius' strange magnetism that seemed to draw people's attention towards him.

"Mister Black!"

"Shit," Sirius murmured as a reporter caught sight of the pair, "come on"

Grabbing Hermione's hand Sirius increased his pace as he headed for the elevators.

"Mister Black. Please, just a few quick questions!"

Sirius and Hermione reached the elevator and quickly slipped inside, the doors closing before the eager reporter could reach them.

Looking down at a pale Hermione Sirius wove his arm around her waist to pull her against his side.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked quietly as he reached out to push the number 2 button on the board beside the door.

"I'm ok, just a little tired."

"You don't have to be here, I can take you back to the castle if you want me to."

Hermione looked up at Sirius' concerned grey eyes and shook her head, "I can sleep when we have our baby back."

Sirius pulled Hermione closer and kissed her forehead. "That's why we're here love."

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Draco wandered wearily through the corridors of his former school looking tired and drawn out. In two days he'd had barely any sleep, dark circles had formed beneath his eyes and his blonde hair, normally tied at the nape of his neck, fell around his face.

Opening the door to Sirius and Hermione's chambers the blonde was thankful at least that Blaise had lent him some clean robes, ridding him of his training uniform he had been wearing the day Elizabeth was taken.

Entering the room he looked around at the activity taking place. Tonks, Remus and Graham were pouring over what looked like blueprints, Harry, Ginny and Bill were reading through texts with the youngest Weasley fighting a futile attempt to keep her eyes open. Fred was taking a nap on a transfigured bed in the corner and Molly was preparing tea for everyone when she glanced up and saw the new arrival at the door.

"Draco!" she exclaimed, "Where have you been?"

Her voice raised the other heads in the room as they all glanced towards the door.

Harry cracked a wry grin, "You look like shit, mate"

Draco returned a smirk and shook his head, "Looked in a mirror recently?"

Harry shook his head, his grin slipping slightly, "No seriously, have you have _any_ sleep?"

Draco ignored the question and took a seat on the couch next to Ginny.

"What are you looking for?" he asked gesturing at the books in front of them, picking one up from the top of the pile and opening it to the first page.

Harry looked around at the others for support.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," Tonks suggested as she watched her cousin attempt to focus on the page in front of him, "We've got it covered here."

Draco looked back down at the book, the words blurring in front of his grey eyes. Sighing he placed the book back from where he'd picked it up and got to his feet.

"You can stay here if you like," suggested Tonks. "There's already a spare bed transfigured in Sirius and Hermione's room."

Draco nodded, stifling a yawn, "Wake me if anything happens."

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"_Level Two Department of Magical Law Enforcement including Improper use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services"_

Sirius and Hermione stepped out of the elevator and made their way down the corridor occasionally passing the odd wizard or witch hurrying about their daily job.

Making their way past the Auror Headquarters and the Improper use of Magic Office they reached the main doors for the Wizengamot Administration. Tall dark wood greeted them with a large silver W on either door.

Stepping in they would not have been held to blame if they mistook the place for the Daily Prophet. Memos were flying around heads as witches and wizards bustled around from desk to desk and through one door and out another.

After watching for a moment Sirius lent over to Hermione to be heard over the noise. "I pictured it being somewhat more…"

"Subdued?" Hermione finished.

"Yeah"

They stood in the doorway not sure where to start when a familiar witch exited a door at the end of the room.

"There she is," said Sirius, slipping his hand into Hermione's and making his way over to the Judge from his trial the day before.

"Ahh," The grey haired witch exclaimed spotting the pair, "I was expecting you earlier."

"Sorry," Sirius apologized, "we had a rather rough night."

The Judge nodded shifting her gaze to Hermione. "You don't look very well dear, are you quite alright?"

Hermione offered a small smile, "I'm fine, just a little tired." She said repeating what she'd told Sirius. "You said you would be able to help us?"

The Judge nodded, "Right, yes. Sorry. My name is Marlene McKenzie." She said as she led the pair into her office, "I'm a member of the Wizengamot. Please, have a seat" she continued indicating to the leather chairs in front of her desk.

"I believe" she continued taking a seat behind her desk and resting her arms on it, "that the only way you can get your daughter back legally is through the Wizengamot."

Sirius frowned and shared a glance with Hermione, "We can do that?" he asked swinging his gaze back to Marlene.

"Well, I admit circumstances like yours have never arisen but I'm sure the Wizengamot will convene on a case such as this."

"How will it work?" Hermione asked.

"You'll need to find someone to represent you, someone who has an acute knowledge of wizarding law. Unfortunately that person can neither be Dumbledore or I as we are members of the council."

She paused to let the pair process this information before continuing.

"Then we appear in court, I will call a vote to withdraw the usual interrogators, instead having the floor open to the Wizengamot, your representative and that of the Ministry's."

"When?" Sirius asked.

"As soon as I can get the owls out, the trial should begin no more than two days from now."

"Two days?" Hermione's voice was barely a whisper but it traveled through the room like thunder.

"I'm sorry" Marlene said, her soft eyes filled with concern as she watched Sirius stand from his seat and move to crouch next to his wife, gently taking her hand in his as he swept her hair back gently from her face.

"Hey," he said gently forcing her to meet his eyes, "We'll get her back ok? I promise you I'll have Elizabeth in your arms again."

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Elizabeth was all cried out. No matter how many tears her blue eyes spilt people would still come in, pick her up and stare at her with eyes full of wonder, curiosity or confusion. They made her feel tingly and warm at the same time as they continued to try to remove the bracelet from her small wrist.

There were no familiar faces that she'd known her whole life though, no familiar scents of cinnamon or chocolate. Just a sterile white room that held nothing comforting for a small child wanting familiarity.

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Sirius and Hermione wandered to the apparition point in the Ministry's Atrium, silent since they'd left Marlene's office.

"Sirius?"

"Yeah?"

"If we don't get her back…"

"We will." Sirius interrupted.

"…I mean in the trial, do you think we'll be able to find her?"

The corner of Sirius' mouth twitched as he looked down at his wife, "you picked up on the 'legally' comment too?"

Hermione nodded.

"Good, because we're getting our daughter back. No matter what."

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**Evening Prophet, Special Edition.**

_22nd May 2000_

_**Wizengamot to Decide!**_

_The Wizengamot has been called to decide the fate of Elizabeth Black. Will she stay in the protective care of the Ministry of will she be reunited with her parents? Opinion around the Prophet office is mixed; some believe she is better off in the Ministry's care, others with her parents. _

_The Wizengamot is representative of the wizarding public so the trial should be fair and a decision will be based on matters including those of the public, Elizabeth herself and her parents. _

_The trial begins on the 24th of this Month with select Media and Public allowed to attend. _

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**A/N sorry for the short chapter, but I couldn't fit anything else in without mucking up my plan of the next four chapters. Getting into the business end of the semester but I'll try to update when I can. **


	26. Something to believe in

**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

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**Chapter 25: Something to believe in. **

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Sirius exited his room alone to find Remus by himself on the couch a book in hand.

"How's Hermione?" Remus asked, looking up at his friend.

"Asleep. Finally," Sirius answered, taking a seat next to Remus, "I think exhaustion has taken over." He leant forward and opened a letter addressed to him lying on the table.

"You should get some rest too, Padfoot, everyone else is."

Sirius shook his head, holding up the parchment in his hand, "Another 'I'm sorry, I can't take this case' letter, you'd think lawyers would be jumping up and down for an opportunity like this."

"You're going against the Ministry, not all would do that willingly."

"Hmm"

"It's their employer they don't want to lose their jobs," Remus continued, "Sure this case could make someone but it could also ruin their career."

"Not helping Moony."

"Sorry," Remus paused as if searching for the right thing to say, "I can help..."

Sirius face showed his obvious relief, "Thanks Remus," he said getting up and picking up some parchment and two quills, "I need you to write to any lawyer you know of."

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The following morning Sirius was woken by the sun streaming in on his face, he moved and instantly regretted it as pain surged through a kink in his neck. He never was one who could sleep comfortably on a couch, sans when it was with Hermione.

Opening his eyes he spotted Remus still sitting next to him, amber eyes scanning through another letter.

"Have you been up all night?" Sirius asked, pulling himself up so he wasn't so slouched.

"Pretty much. You fell asleep a few hours ago."

"Why didn't you wake me back up?"

Remus glanced over at Sirius one eyebrow raised, "You needed rest Sirius."

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius grumbled, the few hours of sleep not improving his mood. He stood and made his way over to his and Hermione's room.

Opening the door and gently closing it behind him Sirius' eyes fell on an empty bed.

"Hermione?" he called.

"In the bathroom."

Sirius wandered over and opened the door to their bathroom and stepped in, the slight smell of vomit reaching his heightened senses. Hermione was standing at the mirror in a bathrobe examining her face. Even with a full nights sleep she was still pale, though the dark circles under her eyes had faded slightly. The bruise on the side of her face was slowly turning a yellowy-green colour as the days without Elizabeth wore on.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked.

"I wish people would stop asking me that." Hermione replied, not meeting Sirius' eyes and wandering over instead to turn on the shower.

Sirius reached over and turned it off.

"Sirius, what are you doing?"

Pulling her close and forcing her to meet his eyes Sirius answered, "Sweetheart, I don't care what other people ask you, _I_ want to know if you're ok."

Hermione sighed and rested her head on Sirius chest, wrapping her arms around his waist, "You know I'm not alright. I'm used to being strong Sirius, but I just _can't, _every time I think of what they could be doing to her it makes me sick. I don't know what to do." She whispered as tears formed in her eyes.

"Here's what we're going to do," Sirius said leading her to sit on the edge of the bathtub and crouching down in front of her, "we're going to get you all cleaned up, we're going to find a really good lawyer, and then we're going to get Elizabeth back."

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Hermione stood in the shower letting the water run through her hair as she listened to the sink tap running as Sirius shaved, his figure blurred slightly by the frosted glass of the shower door. As much as she new Sirius didn't care what others thought of him he was going that extra length to seem more presentable and less Azkaban-like, even if he would never admit it.

Raising her hand up Hermione tentatively applied pressure to her bruised shoulder wincing slightly as pale marks appeared where her fingers had just been before the green-yellow hue returned.

Sighing she stepped under the warm cascading water. It brought similar comfort to that of an embrace and she felt the tension lax slightly as she closed her eyes to let the water run down her face.

A few minutes passed and she heard Sirius moving around the small room. Relenting to the fact that she could not hide in the shower forever she reached for her towel before realizing she'd forgotten to grab one from the rail.

Opening her mouth to ask Sirius for one, movement out of the corner of her eye brought her gaze up to the white towel he had just draped over the top of the door.

Allowing herself a small smile Hermione reached up and pulled it down.

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Sirius finished shaving and picked up a hand towel to dry his face. Catching his reflection in the mirror he felt saddened, as it were, by the haunted look in his grey eyes. It had returned after his vivid dream and no matter how many times he caught Hermione's eyes the image of them staring blankly at him would not leave.

Looking away from the reflection Sirius glanced at the shower where he could just make out Hermione standing beneath the water. Reaching across Sirius picked up a white towel and draped it over the door for Hermione before sinking to the floor and leaning against the bath.

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Towel wrapped around her Hermione stepped out of the shower and stopped when she saw Sirius sitting on the floor, one leg stretched out in front of him, the other bent at the knee and supporting his arm.

"What are you doing on the floor?" she asked as he looked up at her with an innocent expression.

"Sitting."

Hermione smiled and moved to step past him but was stopped by Sirius' hand grasping her ankle.

Glancing down at him she met his grey eyes.

"Just…sit." he said softly pulling her down so she curled into his side. Her wet curls transferring water to his shirt as he wrapped his arms around her.

They just sat, on their bathroom floor and Hermione changed her mind.

There was nothing that compared to this embrace.

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It was mid-morning by the time Sirius and Hermione joined the others in the lounge. Arthur and Bill had arrived and the small couch in the centre of the room was filled with redheads. Around them were Harry, Remus, Tonks, Graham and Draco.

"Morning everyone," Sirius greeted softly, as he and Hermione took a seat, glancing over at Remus Sirius met his eyes. "Anything?" he asked.

Remus shook his head and held up the rejection letters, the occasional red Howler showing through the mass of white.

"What are they?" Hermione asked, glancing between Sirius and Remus.

"They're from lawyers," Remus answered, "It appears you and Sirius are having some difficulty in finding one willing to help."

A soft knock at the door brought everyone's attention away from what they were doing. Draco, closest to the door stood and moved to open it.

He was greeted by a sophisticated blonde woman, her hair was pulled back from her face and elegant navy robes adorned her tall figure. She was tall enough to look Draco directly in the eyes. He was startled slightly into momentarily mistaking her for his mother, the warm eyes staring back the only thing proving him wrong.

"Err, hello" he started.

The blonde nodded in greeting, "Hello, I was wondering if Sirius and Hermione were available."

Draco looked over his shoulder to see Sirius making his way over to the door.

"How can I help you?" he asked, vaguely recognizing the witch in front of him.

"Hello Sirius, it's been a while."

Seeing Sirius fight to remember the face she smiled and held out her hand, "Natasha Stonehawk, you knew me at Hogwarts as Natasha Tyler I was in Ravenclaw."

An image of the witch in a green haze popped into his head and he sent her a wry grin, "Right, Natasha Stonehawk, how can I help you?" he asked inviting her into the room.

"I hear you're in need of a lawyer, I received an owl this morning from Remus Lupin asking for my services. Hello Remus," she greeted spotting the werewolf on the couch.

"Good Morning," he replied. "Thank you for coming."

Natasha grinned at the curious faces around the room, "Always a pleasure to piss off the Ministry," catching Hermione's eyes she sent her a warm smile. "Hello Hermione, it's nice to see you again."

Hermione nodded remembering the witch had been civil to her back in her seventh year after letting her know what really happened between Monique and Sirius in the corridor.

Sirius introduced everyone before Natasha wandered over to the fireplace, "Is this Elizabeth?" she asked looking at the one of the many photos decorating the mantle.

Hermione nodded and stepped over to the other witch, "That was her first Christmas," she said, smiling fondly at the photograph of Elizabeth in the bath, white flour all through her black hair.

Smiling Natasha turned back around to the others. Sirius had transfigured furniture so a large round table with chairs now occupied the center of the room. Taking a seat Natasha placed her briefcase on the table before putting the photo of Elizabeth in the centre.

"Right," she said taking a seat and pulling out a piece of quill and some parchment, "The hearing starts tomorrow, the Ministry wont give up easily but with the Wizengamot you have a good chance of getting Elizabeth back." Pausing she looked around the table. "I need to know as much information as you can give me, Elizabeth's first words, her first sign of Magic, her Godparents, who held her first, anything that will work for your advantage, I'm sure that you could all help Sirius and Hermione with this."

Molly looked shocked, "Why?" she asked simply.

"To build our case."

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Sirius yawned as he slipped under the covers beside Hermione. After a long day of questions from Natasha they'd finally been able to slip off to bed before the trial the next day.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm"

"Are you asleep?"

Hermione rolled over and opened her eyes to meet Sirius' across the pillow.

"I love you." He whispered, reaching out to stroke the side of her face.

Hermione moved closer and let Sirius wrap his arms around her, "I love you too." She murmured as she drifted of to the sound of Sirius' heartbeat.

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Daily Prophet

_24th May 2000_

_Day One of Trial. _

_The first day of the trial for the custody of Elizabeth Black through the Wizengamot begins today. It is rumoured the Ministry has hired Warrick Waslow, the hottest attorney out of the Wizarding Law institute, to represent them throughout the trial. Whereas the Blacks have a well established lawyer, old school acquaintance Natasha Stonehawk representing them, a widow whose late husband died in the final battle against He-who-must-not-be-named. Another Prophet Special Edition will be published later on in the evening on the progress of the trial. _

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Harry looked around the immense courtroom as he took his seat. It hadn't changed much since his last visit. In the centre of the room still sitting ominously, was the chair with its chains. This surrounded by the seating of the Wizengamot in its centric pattern.

What was obviously different were himself and other observers, including the media, sitting off to one side of The Chair, such as it was to be given capital letters. There were two tables also placed in the centre of the room on either side of The Chair. He watched as Sirius and Hermione took their seats at the one closest to him, Natasha sitting beside them and pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill.

To his left sat Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys, to the right Draco and Tonks. Harry himself was still quite angry at learning it was deemed unacceptable for Remus to enter the courtroom at all.

Glancing up he spotted Dumbledore take his seat a few over from the Minister and the rest of the Wizengamot in their plum coloured robes pulling out parchment and what looked like quills charmed to record what is being said. Various reporters had their own quills out but looked worryingly like Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes Quill.

The muttering around him grew quiet as Dumbledore stood.

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Sirius met Hermione's eyes as they took their seats, she was pale again and he noted, nervous as well. Pushing down his own butterflies Sirius, as he sat between her and Natasha, sent her a small smile he reserved for her only.

"No need to be nervous sweetheart, we'll get her back."

Hermione returned the smile and let out her breath nodding in Dumbledore's direction.

Sirius looked up as Dumbledore stood.

The Chief Warlock waited for the room to be quiet before continuing.

"This, 'trial', I guess we will call it is going to be slightly different from traditional trials, no one is going to be punished we are here solely for the purpose of the custody of Elizabeth Rosalyn Black, taken from her parents four days ago on the twentieth day of the fifth month," Dumbledore paused for a moment before continuing. "We will start with the Ministry's representative Mr Waslow, then move onto Ms Stonehawk for opening statements. Members of the Wizengamot can ask questions at any time. The court will maintain order or persons will be removed."

Sirius couldn't help but think the last comment was directed at him, especially when Dumbledore, blue eyes sparkling, met his own stormy grey ones.

Nodding at Warrick Waslow, Dumbledore took his seat.

Standing, Waslow moved from behind his desk. He was young, only a few years older than Harry and Draco, blond hair swept back from his face, his black robes of the finest quality. "Thank you Albus," he started. "I'd like to open the argument for the Ministry by directing the courts attention to the Prophecy. I think we can all agree that the child in the prophecy is in fact Elizabeth Black---"

"That has not yet been proven."

Sirius was shocked at the interruption, but smiled slightly as Natasha stood and directed the fifty wizards in front of her, "We have no evidence that Elizabeth is in fact the child in this prophecy."

"Yet she is the only child 'of black and blue' to be brought in in over a year," argued Waslow.

"The child in this prophecy may not even be born yet."

Waslow nodded, "It _is_ assumed that Elizabeth Black is the child in the Prophecy. I will direct the courts attention to the first line."

Natasha took her seat and Sirius met Hermione's eyes, they new what was coming next.

"'_Born to the two of time stolen an infant of black and blue.'_ Mister Black, may I ask how long you were wrongly imprisoned for?"

"Twelve years," Sirius answered.

Waslow nodded, "So in other words you had twelve year of your life 'stolen' from you."

Sirius nodded.

"A yes or no Mr Black."

"Yes, I had twelve years of my life 'stolen' from me." Sirius couldn't help but glare at the Minister at this. He of course wasn't the one that put Sirius away but he felt obliged to send his look anyway.

"Right then," Waslow continued. "Mrs. Black is it not true that you were sent back in time at the end of your sixth year at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, that's true." Hermione answered.

"And it is true that you were put in a Time Trap was it?"

"Yes, for twelve years." Hermione said before Waslow could get his next question out.

Turning back to the Wizengamot he sent them a charming smile, "From the statements just given I think we can agree that both Mr and Mrs Black have had time stolen, meaning we can reach the conclusion that Elizabeth is in fact the child mentioned in the prophecy."

Up on the stands the quills in front of the Wizengamot were scribbling across the pages taking down everything that was said. Next to Sirius and Hermione, in front of Natasha a similar quill was doing the same thing.

Standing once again Natasha again argued her point, "I disagree, again there is no definite proof that the child in the prophecy is Elizabeth. What if Sirius and Hermione decide to have another child and that child bears the same resemblance as Elizabeth?"

Members of the Wizengamot nodded and an old witch beside Dumbledore spoke up, "We'll assume that there is the possibility that the child in the prophecy could be Elizabeth, but not conclusively. Mr Waslow I ask that you refrain from jumping to that conclusion again."

Waslow cocked his head in acquiescence. "Of course."

"Smarmy bastard," Sirius mumbled under his breath, which earned him two kicks from under the table, one from either side.

"Considering the…high, possibility," Waslow continued, "that Elizabeth is indeed the child in the prophecy, I would like to bring the courts attention to the final line, '_A new peril in the air should this infant be taken,'_ this is the Ministry's primary concern, and reason for taking Elizabeth. To protect the wizarding community and alternatively, the child, from this 'new peril.'

Nodding to Natasha, Waslow took his seat.

Standing and mimicking Waslow, Natasha moved out from behind the desk.

"At the beginning of this trial Albus Dumbledore stated that Elizabeth was taken from her parents four days ago. The manner in which she was taken clearly puts the Ministry's credibility on the line."

Waslow stood, "The Blacks gave the Ministry no choice, they knew they should have brought the child in well before now!"

Natasha turned to her opponent, "They did what any other parent would do and protected their child!"

"The child needed no protection from the Ministry, they do not condone harming helpless children."

"Yet they condone releasing a private and confidential Prophecy and then forcefully taking a child from her parents in not one but two attempts."

"Again, it was for the protection of the wizarding community as a whole."

"Mr Waslow," Waslow turned to Dumbledore, "Please, let Ms Stonehawk finish."

Waslow took his seat and Natasha continued, "I'll direct the courts attention to Wizarding Decree three hundred and two, subsection b, paragraph a, the primary rights to custody of children. These rights fall to that of their parents, if that is not possible primary guardians and finally into the care of the government. The key fact here is that the Ministry had no _right_ taking Elizabeth from the care of her parents."

Over on the other desk Waslow had picked up a spare quill and was scribbling something on a piece of parchment.

"I'd like to hear from her parents please."

Sirius looked up at a black haired witch with green eyes a few seats behind Dumbledore.

Natasha nodded and turned to Sirius and Hermione.

The Witch that had spoken pushed forward the first question.

"You are both involved in the care of Elizabeth?" she asked looking between the couple.

"We are," Sirius answered.

"You have a stable place of residence other than Hogwarts?"

"We did," Sirius answered again, "It was destroyed a little after Christmas."

"The Ministry has no record of this." Interrupted Waslow.

"Mr. Black, would you like to explain?"

"Our home was destroyed by a fire in January, my Godson and his partner were lucky to get out alive."

A tall wizard near the front spoke up, "What then, was your reason for not reporting this to the Ministry?"

Sirius sent a pointed look to the Minister, "We knew that the Ministry was after Elizabeth, we wanted to keep as low profile as possible. A report was filed with Auror Tonks, our house put down as Muggle."

"To protect Elizabeth?"

Sirius smiled at Marlene, "Yes, to protect Elizabeth."

"Mrs. Black," The tall wizard proceeded, "you are muggle born, is that correct?"

"Yes." Hermione answered.

"What experience do you have of raising a magical child then?" he continued.

Hermione frowned, "None, but not all witches and wizards, muggle born or not has experience at raising a child."

"Mr. Black, what is your level of raising a child?"

Sirius glared at the tall wizard, he did not like this man or where his questions were heading.

"I helped my friends raise my Godson for his first year of life."

"So you have more experience than your wife then?"

Sirius shook his head and smiled at Hermione, "No, I'd never say that," he turned back to the court, "Hermione is a natural mother, its instinct not experience."

"You do not think trained Ministry officials would be able to raise Elizabeth in a stable environment at the same time as keeping the community safe?"

Sirius was about to jump to his feet but Hermione beat him to it, "Elizabeth is OUR daughter, we will raise her how we deem best fit, not by some _trained_ caregiver!"

"This is not a trivial issue Mrs. Black, this is the entire wizarding community we are talking about!"

"NO it isn't!" Sirius was beside Hermione now and Natasha stood to try to calm them both down as Sirius' voice rang through the room. "This is about Elizabeth and Elizabeth only! You took her from us and we don't know where she is, we don't even know if she's alright or not. She could be scared out of her mind and _we_ are not there for her. We're not there because of _you_!"

Silence had descended on the room throughout Sirius' speech and Tompkinson was glaring at the finger pointed in his direction.

"Ms Stonehawk, please calm your clients down," he stated placidly as if nothing had happened.

"Please. Sirius, just sit down, you're not helping matters."

Sirius removed his arm from Natasha's grip and sat down, resting his head in his hand as he took a deep breath.

"I believe now would be a good time for a short recess," Dumbledore said addressing the room, "Ten minutes should be enough."

Noise broke out around the room as people stood to stretch their legs.

"This is going to be a long day." Sirius muttered as he lifted his head and met Hermione's eyes.

"You guys are doing brilliantly," Natasha commented from beside them, "Just try not to lose your temper so much, it works against you."

"I don't know," Hermione argued with a small smile, "I think Sirius impressed some of them with his little speech."

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When the trial resumed Waslow stood again to address the court.

"Mr. and Mrs. Black, why is it you did not come to the Ministry as soon as you read about the prophecy in the paper?" Waslow clasped his hands together before looking between the two; eyebrows raised waiting for an answer.

"We had no reason to trust the Ministry." Sirius answered.

"And why is that? Is the Ministry not here to serve and act for the wellbeing of the public?"

Sirius scoffed, "Our past encounters with the Ministry have not exactly been great enough to warrant a level of trust."

"Explain please," The tall wizard asked.

"They seem to think wrongly imprisoning a man for twelve years warrants an apology and nothing else, they accuse Albus Dumbledore, a wizard of this court, and Harry Potter of being crazy when Voldemort returned."

Audible hisses and gasps were heard about the room as Hermione picked up from where Sirius left off.

"The Ministry is also known to have had dealings with Death Eaters in the past."

"You have no evidence of this Mrs. Black," argued Tompkinson.

"Lucius Malfoy," Hermione stated simply.

"Yes, well, that was that fool Fudge's doing, in the past. Death Eaters have no hold on the Ministry now."

"This is not the point," interrupted Waslow, "you should have come to the Ministry immediately."

"Well," said Sirius, "We didn't."

"And you put the entire Wizarding Community at risk with your actions."

"And what happened to the community?" Natasha asked.

"Well," stated Waslow, caught slightly off guard, "nothing as of yet, but she is only an infant."

"Then why did you take her?" asked Hermione quietly.

The hall fell silent waiting for an answer.

"The guarantee her safety," answered Tompkinson, "We can't keep an eye on her when she is with you."

"She is safe with us." Hermione argued back.

"Is that right?" Asked Tompkinson, "Who was it again, that let her go?"

Chaos erupted as not only Sirius but half the spectators, most of which were in the front row, leapt to their feet in anger.

The Wizengamot attempted to quieten the court as Waslow returned to his seat, smile in place.

"SIRIUS!"

Sirius stopped yelling as Dumbledore's voice rose above the rest.

"Sit down. Please Sirius." Dumbledore pleaded to Sirius with his blue eyes to just cooperate.

Sirius nodded and sat down taking Hermione's hand in his.

Minister Tompkinson looked around. "We will take a break for lunch then reconvene for the days closing statements before returning tomorrow."

Natasha stood, "With all due respect Minister, but we have all afternoon to work with."

Tompkinson looked down at her frowning, "With all due respect Ms Stonehawk, I have a magical nation to run as well."

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The Evening Prophet

_Special Edition_

_24th May 2000_

_Day one of Custody Battle_

_The first day of the custody hearing for Elizabeth Black took place today in dramatic proceedings. The Ministry's representative, Warrick Waslow, started the proceedings by bringing up the issue of public safety, quoting numerous times from the Prophecy itself. The Blacks representative, Natasha Stonehawk, came back with a very convincing knowledge of the law accusing the Ministry of violating the parental rights of Sirius and Hermione Black. _

_The trial continued like this for much of the day with Sirius Black losing his temper on more than one occasion, though normally when a member of the court criticized his wife. The trial continues tomorrow and could possibly bring forward a completely new set of issues to the picture. _

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	27. Keep the Faith

**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

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**Chapter 26: Keep the Faith.**

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_Hogwarts Winter December 1973._

_Remus Lupin glanced out the tall window as the snow flakes drifted slowly down to the white landscape below. No doubt there would be a snowball fight later if the weather cleared up. There always was. _

_Remus turned his amber eyes from the wintry sight to the book on his lap. The Christmas holidays were always a good time for some recreational reading for the small third year. _

_A loud noise from the direction of the portrait alerted him to his friends falling through the entrance to the Gryffindor tower. Remus didn't hide his small smile as James and Sirius attempted to untangle themselves from each other. _

_Glancing up both boys looked around to make sure no one had seen the incident. _

"_It's alright." Remus commented from across the room, "I'm the only one here, your pride is still intact."_

_Sirius and James grinned at each other before heading over to join Remus. Remus looked on at his two much taller friends. The past summer had been a rather speedy growing session for both boys, leaving the already small Remus far behind. Sirius told him not to worry and that he'd most likely have a sudden growth spurt and will be looking down on them eventually. _

"_What 'cha up to Remus?" Sirius asked snatching the book from his grasp._

"_I was reading." Remus answered with a friendly glare._

_Sirius shrugged, and to Remus' horror threw the book onto a nearby chair._

"_Sirius, you really should be a little more careful." The werewolf admonished. _

"_But Moony," Sirius started, ignoring Remus' cringe at the nickname the boys had bestowed upon him minutes after confronting him a few months ago about his lycanthropy, "I need your undivided attention."_

_Remus sighed, "What have you done now?"_

_James looked affronted, "Nothing, what makes you so sure we've done something?"_

"_Ok," answered Remus, "What are you planning?"_

_Sirius grinned at turned to James, "He knows us too well."_

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"_I can't believe I let you two talk me into this," Remus said, currently crouched near the Slytherin common room, "where's Peter?"_

_Sirius grinned at his friend, "We need you're brains, Peters not exactly up there with you on that front."_

"_Or your furry little problem skills," James added, before turning to Sirius, "Ready?"_

_Sirius' grin grew, "I was born ready, let's do this, Remus if you will." _

_Remus sighed again and rolled his eyes before tapping the bag of dungbombs with his wand and muttering a small charm._

"_Brilliant," said James standing up with Sirius, "Now we wait."_

_A few minutes later a Slytherin came up to the portrait and looked around before murmuring the password. After the portrait had swung back shut James and Sirius turned to Remus with expectant expressions. _

"_Snakes Fang." Remus informed the pair. _

"_Thanks mate, we'll be right back," Sirius said standing up, "unless you want to come with us?"_

_Remus shook his head, "It's alright, I'll wait here, just don't take too long."_

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_Remus felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck and he tried to sink further into the shadows. Sirius and James had been gone for about three minutes before footsteps resounded off the moist walls. _

"_What do we have here?"_

_Remus' shoulders sagged slightly as the tall blonde walked over to him. _

"_I am allowed in the dungeons Lucius." He replied picking up his courage._

_Malfoy cocked his head to the side, "That may be. But. It's Slytherin territory, you know how we feel about Gryffindors, especially little ones whose friends are no where around."_

_Remus noted Malfoy's wand in his hand but didn't try for his. _

"_OI. Malfoy, what are you doing?"_

_Remus turned to see Sirius and James heading towards the pair. _

_Malfoy sneered, "Ah look, your little protectors are here."_

"_Leave him alone," Sirius ordered stepping between the blond and his friend. _

"_Sirius," Remus started, "It's alright."_

_Sirius ignored his small friend, off to the side James had his wand drawn just in case, "Why do you have your wand pointed at Remus?" Sirius asked._

"_I was merely wondering why he was in the dungeons alone."_

_Sirius' grey eyes glared at the pale wizard in front of him, "No reason to draw your wand on him. I suggest you leave him alone."_

"_Is that a threat?"_

"_You bet it's a threat, you'll have me…"_

"_And me," James added_

"…_to deal with if you so much as touch a hair on his head."_

_Malfoy's gaze was cold but he was outnumbered, with one last snide glare he spun on his heel and headed for the dormitories. _

"_You alright?" Sirius asked turning to Remus. _

"_Fine, you didn't have to do that." Remus said, a little embarrassed with by the whole thing._

_Sirius shrugged, "We stood up for you."_

"_Yeah," added James, "That's what Marauders do, look out for each other."_

_Years later, once Remus was on par on the height department with his friends, and proven his worth many a time over the black haired boys would still stand up for him. _

_And some things just never change._

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25th May 2000

Sirius woke the morning of the second day of the trial and groaned. His head was pounding more than any hangover had ever caused.

Wrapped in the duvet he vaguely felt Hermione shift beside him before her presence disappeared.

A few minutes of what Sirius could describe only as pure torture, though he has been known to exaggerate, someone sat beside him on the edge of the bed startling him.

"You know," Hermione started, her voice just to the side, "If you weren't white as a ghost and moaning like you'd just lost your manhood I would have found it amusing that for once I managed to sneak up on you."

Sirius opened one grey eye and glared at his wife's amused expression.

"Here," she offered, holding up a goblet, "Drink this, it will help with the headache."

"And probably taste like crap too," Sirius muttered, sitting up slightly but taking the potion nonetheless, swallowing the think liquid.

As the pain in his head subsided his eyes followed Hermione around the room. She had lost some weight over the past few days, though he didn't blame her, food didn't exactly hold the same appeal as it did a week ago.

The pallor colour of her face had eased slightly bringing a small amount of life back into her features. However she still had that shaky aspect to her smile and hollowness in her eyes that Sirius saw every time he looked in the mirror.

"Better?" Hermione asked sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

Sirius nodded, "Thank you." He said moving to get up, and stopping Hermione in the process. She was all dressed for the day bar her hair which was tied quickly at the back.

"Come here," Sirius murmured and positioned Hermione in front of him. Gently running his fingers through her hair he began their ritual of plaiting her curls into a long plait to hang down her back.

Voices in the other room alerted the couple to the others, all up and ready for another day. China could be heard rattling as morning drinks were prepared.

"I would kill for a coffee," Sirius said, breaking the silence.

Hermione stood, plait completed, and pulled a face, "I don't know how you can drink that stuff."

Sirius grinned slightly, headache all but gone, and pulled a good pair of black robes from the closet, "Its good, gets the blood pumping."

Hermione shook her head and moved to the door leaving Sirius to finish getting dressed as she went to see the others.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

When Sirius entered the room he looked around. Natasha was sitting at the large table still present in the middle of the room, her quill flying over the parchment. Remus was talking to Arthur off to the side while Harry, Draco and the remaining Weasley's helped themselves to the breakfast the house elves had provided.

He moved over to Hermione who handed him a steaming cup of coffee, smiling he took it and brought the hot liquid to his lips. "Where's Tonks?" has asked looking around the room again.

Remus caught his fiancées name and looked up, "I let her sleep in, couldn't wake her." He answered with a smile.

Tapping at the window alerted the room to an owl wanting in.

Fred was the closest and opened the latch, taking the letter from the regal looking owl before it flew off.

Glancing at the Ministry seal he turned it over and looked up at Remus, "It's for you."

He said stepping over and handing it to the werewolf.

Remus shared a glance with Sirius whose grey eyes were suddenly concerned.

Natasha had stopped writing and had her eyes on the letter, a small frown on her face.

Breaking the seal Remus opened the envelope and pulled out the parchment, his amber eyes scanning the letter as Sirius moved over to him.

The door flew open and Tonks rushed in, a similar piece of parchment clutched in her hands.

"I've been subpoenaed," she announced to the room

Remus looked up, "So have I."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The courtroom was set out identically to that of the day before save for the extra table placed slightly further back from Sirius and Hermione's where Remus, Tonks and two Aurors sat.

Remus was in his best robes, his own despite Sirius' attempts to convince his friend to borrow a pair of his. Sitting beside Remus, Tonks had opted not to wear her regulation Auror robes and saw the disapproval on Tompkinson's face as she walked into the room. Her hair was still long and black with the vivid red streaks through the front that had appeared when Elizabeth was taken. Beside Tonks sat another Auror, this one in his scarlet robes and when Sirius and Hermione entered the room he ducked his head and avoided their eyes. The Auror beside him was one Tonks new, he was a good man, tall and broad shouldered, the only reason for him not to go on strike was his continuing belief of protecting the community, sans a child.

Neither Remus nor Tonks had been at the trial the previous day but had received a detailed account from the others. It came to no surprise then that when Waslow stood to begin the pair exchanged a glance that caused Tonks some difficulty at suppressing a grin.

"Yesterday," he started addressing the room as a whole, "We stressed the point of the safety of the wizarding community, and although I cannot stress this enough I have another matter I would like to present to the court." He paused and looked directly at Sirius, "I believe that out of the Ministry's care, with her parents, Elizabeth's safety, her life even, is compromised."

Beside Tonks, Remus stiffened and his sensitive hearing could pick up the low growl Sirius appeared to be emitting meters away.

At the front Waslow was taken aback that the Blacks didn't jump down his throat, perhaps they learnt their lesson from the day before.

"Mr Waslow," Dumbledore said, a curious expression on his face, "Would you please enlighten the court, if only myself, why you deem Hogwarts unsafe for a child to grow up."

Waslow nodded, "I'd like to call up Remus Lupin to answer a few questions."

Sirius turned his head and met Remus' eyes. Remus could tell his childhood friend was none too pleased with the situation and the lycan hoped he wouldn't do anything rash to compromise the case.

Remus stood as the broad shouldered Auror escorted him to the center of the room, adequately disguising his slight limp to all but those that knew him.

"If you'd please take a seat," Waslow instructed, indicating to The Chair.

Remus sat and Waslow waved his wand. Suddenly silver shackles appeared holding Remus' wrists and ankles in place.

Remus clenched his teeth to bite back the scream, his breath hissing through his lips as the silver burnt his flesh.

Sirius was on his feet in an instant, making his way quickly behind Natasha's fallen chair which had tipped when the witch had risen to her feet. Tonks flew past Sirius and sank to her knees beside Remus, her hands going automatically for the silver trapping her fiancé.

Hermione had her wand drawn and while Tonks attempted to remove the shackles with her bare hands, Hermione tried with her wand.

Most of the room was in chaos but Sirius' voice could again be heard over the din as he advanced on Waslow, his wand pointed directly at the other mans throat.

"Take them off NOW!" he ordered, grey eyes flashing dangerously, "Take them off NOW or I _swear_ to you, you won't be able to fight this case at ALL!"

Suddenly the silver shackles disappeared and Sirius and Hermione glanced up at the Wizengamot while Tonks tried to alleviate Remus' pain. It was not, as most would have suspected, Dumbledore who was standing with his wand drawn, but the Minister himself.

"I will not have this type of behaviour in this court." He stated glaring at his representative.

Sirius moved over to Remus and placed a hand on his shoulder, silently asking if he was alright.

Remus nodded as the noise around the room died down. Sirius glanced down at his friends wrists and bit back the bile that rose in his throat. They were red and raw, almost identical to what he had seen in his dream, Remus hanging lifelessly from the tree, hands bound behind his back.

Suddenly bandages obstructed his view and Sirius glanced up at Hermione before turning back to Remus.

"Sirius?" Remus asked, "Are you alright?"

With another quick glance at Remus' wrists Sirius swallowed, "I'm fine," he said quietly, "Are you sure you're ok?"

Remus nodded again before thanking Hermione for the bandages.

Sirius felt a hand on his arm and turned to meet Hermione's eyes, "You're awfully pale," she commented.

"I'm ok." Sirius insisted before Hermione could continue, nodding once again at Remus Sirius returned to his seat, Hermione hesitating before following. Tonks was still crouched beside Remus and was reluctantly pulled away to be taken back to her seat.

Waslow cleared his throat, "I apologize, I merely thought precautions should be taken into consideration."

Marlene, glaring at the wizard spoke up, "You were gravely mistaken Mr Waslow, many of us have children or grandchildren who have been taught by Professor Lupin, I think if we trust him with our children questions in a courtroom would be a walk in the park."

"I disagree," the room turned to the tall thin wizard who had berated Hermione the day before about being a Muggle Born, "I will not go into the issue of a Half Breed teaching innocent children today, but Mr Waslow had sufficient grounds to take the action that he did. You may continue Mr Waslow."

Waslow nodded and turned to Remus, "What is your relationship with the Blacks Mr. Lupin?"

Remus, who looked awfully pale, a glossy sheen of sweat covering his features, took a breath before answering somewhat hoarsely, "They are my closest friends."

Waslow turned back to the court, "My question is this, what kind of parents would befriend a dangerous Half Breed? What state of mind are the Blacks in, what would be next? A Vampire? Mr. Lupin," he continued turning back to Remus, "What is your relationship with Elizabeth Black, and remember you are in a court of law, you are required to tell the truth."

Between Natasha and Hermione Sirius was literally seething as Waslow presented his new case.

Remus' eyes flashed as he met Waslow's own blue pair, "Elizabeth is my Goddaughter."

Audible gasps from the media made Harry and the others turn and glare, apparently this was deemed unacceptable in the opinion of the public.

"Your Goddaughter?" Waslow asked, eyebrows raised, "Interesting, Mr. Black," he said turning to Sirius, "What on Earth possessed you to name a Half Breed a Godparent to your baby daughter?"

Sirius glared, "Because I trust Remus with my life, and that of my family's."

"Is that so? Is it not true that a number of years ago he almost killed members of your so called family, namely your Godson and wife?"

Sirius shifted in his seat, "That was not Remus, that was the Werewolf."

"But Mr. Lupin is a Werewolf is he not? Surely you wouldn't want to take the same risk, after all it has happened before."

"Remus would not harm Elizabeth." Sirius stated again.

"How can you be so sure?" Waslow asked, sending another glance at Remus who had his amber eyes on Sirius.

"Because," Sirius answered meeting Remus' eyes, "Remus would kill himself before he harms the ones he loves. He's like that Moony is," Sirius said turning back to the court with a small smile, "Always was a self sacrificing prat."

"Nonetheless you have put your daughter in danger…"

"I think you have stressed that point Waslow," Natasha said standing up and moving around the table, "I'd like to ask a few questions now."

Waslow nodded.

Instead of Natasha turning to Remus she turned to Sirius and Hermione, "Mr. Black, how long have you been friends with Mr. Lupin for?"

"Almost thirty years now."

"So it is safe to say that you know Mr. Lupin well enough to make a wise decision about making him Godfather to your daughter?"

Sirius nodded, "The only person I know better than Remus is Hermione, it seemed fitting to appoint him Godfather."

"Yet," interrupted Waslow, "You spent twelve years in Azkaban, a man can change a lot in twelve years, a half breed likely more."

Sirius shook his head, "Not Remus,"

"Tell us Sirius," Natasha said, glaring at Waslow for interrupting, "who was it who held Elizabeth in their arms first, apart from you and your wife?"

"Remus," Sirius answered automatically.

"And what was her first word?"

"Moony,"

"Tell the court the significance of that word Sirius."

"Moony is Remus' nickname from Hogwarts, I use it all the time, I guess Elizabeth picked up on it, Harry did the same when he was a baby."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," said the tall wizard in the stands, "what any of this has to do with Elizabeth."

Waslow eagerly stepped forward to answer, "I am merely trying to present to the court a reason for declining the Blacks request for custody."

"And I am _merely_ trying to prove Remus' integrity."

"Integrity?" Waslow asked, "From a half breed? Alright, McAlister," he said turning to the broad shouldered Auror, "please bring Miss Tonks forward."

Natasha, still standing in the middle of the room with Waslow conjured a chair for Tonks to sit on next to Remus.

Tonks had barely sat down before Waslow began asking questions, "Miss Tonks, what is your relationship with Mr. Lupin?"

"Intimate." Tonks answered without preamble.

Walsow opened his mouth slightly, shocked at the answer. Sirius allowed himself a small chuckle at his cousin.

"Miss Tonks that is a ring on your finger is it not?"

Tonks glanced down at her ring, she didn't even think she'd be able to take it off now if she tried. "Yes it is."

"You are aware Miss Tonks of the current laws regarding Werewolves and their right to marry."

"I am."

"Mr. Lupin, answer this, if your integrity is as great as your friends would have the court to believe why propose if you know about the laws?"

Tonks noted with concern that Remus was shaking slightly but he answered nonetheless, "The laws were being changed, Tonks and I had no plans to follow through with marriage until this happened."

"Yet the laws were not passed and you are in a committed relationship with not only a witch but a high ranking Auror. I think you can see why that would be suspicious."

"You can't help who you fall in love with." Tonks answered, clasping Remus' hand in her own, shocked at the clamminess.

"Love?" asked a member of the Wizengamot, "quite a strong word to use in the same context as someone who is not human."

Sirius was on his feet, "Why don't you just keep your bloody prejudices to your fucking self!"

"Sirius!" said Dumbledore, "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, sit down!"

Sirius glared at the wizard who had spoken and sat down.

Waslow who was looking at Sirius with a raised eyebrow shook his head before turning back to Tonks, "I'll ask the same question I asked your…fiancé…" he said turning the word over on his tongue like it was foreign, "what is your relationship with Elizabeth?"

"She is my Goddaughter."

Waslow turned back to the court, "Let's run this through shall we? Mr. and Mrs. Black not only endanger their child by granting basic guardianship to a Werewolf but they also chose a witch to be godmother who clearly from her choice of relations, is not the most stable person to be around a child."

"You son of a bitch," Tonks started standing.

"Sit down Nymphradora," Dumbledore instructed, there was concern in his blue eyes but also a warning, right now they were in much more danger than mere questions on relationships.

"Miss Tonks," Waslow continued, "You are a Metamorphmagus are you not?"

"Yes."

"You are known around the Ministry, and even with your closest friends as having a rather colourful streak."

"Yes."

"Why is it then you come here with long black hair?"

"What does my hair have to do with anything?"

"Answer the question." A witch said from the back.

Tonks shrugged, grateful that her robes covered her four month pregnancy, "I wanted to wear it long."

"It has been like this for most of the year though, has it not?" Asked Waslow, "I do have people who can back this up, if you feel like denying the claim."

Tonks didn't answer.

"Very well then, I'll turn the courts attention to this," he held up a piece of parchment, "I quote 'Metamorphmagi show certain characteristics in relevance to pregnancy, the primary one being unable to control their Morphing abilities, the key sign being the green or yellow hue the hair takes'. Now I believe that if Miss Tonks here is pregnant it not only breaks a number of laws but also throws all of Mr. Lupin's so called integrity out of the window, why give Elizabeth back to the dangers, to the risks, of that kind of environment."

Natasha had had enough, "You're pulling at desperate straws here Waslow, there is no relevance to Elizabeth's custody in this."

"Ms Stonehawk," said the wizard who'd caused Sirius' outburst earlier, "I think that there are a number of members of this court and the public who would disagree, after all the safety of Elizabeth and the community is the primary concern here."

Hermione glanced up at Sirius who met her eyes, she was worried. Now more than ever their case hung in the balance.

"Miss Tonks," Waslow said turning back to her, "If you would, please demonstrate to the court your morphing abilities."

Tonks didn't turn to Remus, nor did she turn to Sirius and Hermione. She didn't let Waslow or the Wizengamot see any fear, any doubt in her violet eyes. Scrunching her face she concentrated on her trademark short pink hair.

Across to the side Sirius couldn't tear his eyes away from his cousin, as much as he didn't want to watch he couldn't not watch. To his amazement Tonks managed to keep her hair pink, and when she opened her eyes again Waslow suddenly had an extreme fear of the colour violet.

Dumbledore smiled, "I believe that part of your case just failed Mr Waslow. We will return after a lunch period, thirty minutes should do."

Sirius stood as soon as parchment could be heard rolling up throughout the room, and headed over to Remus, moving quickly when Remus stood and shakily fell to his knees.

"Alright my ass," Sirius mumbled as he crouched down beside Remus to help him up, "we need to get you back to Hogwarts."

"I'm ok," Remus insisted, "I just need to lie down for a while."

"Can you get him back to Poppy?" Sirius asked Tonks who's didn't look to good herself.

Tonks shook her head, "This is really draining me Sirius, I need to get out of here."

Sirius turned to Hermione who handed him a piece of parchment, "Portkey," she murmured, "it will take them straight to the hospital wing."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Outside of the courtroom Harry, Draco and the Weasleys stood in a small group.

"I can not believe what just went on in there!" Harry exclaimed, finally able to release his frustration, "how could the Wizengamot let that happen?"

"Harry," Arthur said softly, "not everyone shares the same views that we do with regard to Werewolves, there will be a lot of people out there who believe Sirius and Hermione have given Elizabeth an unsafe environment."

Harry glared at no one in particular. The whole group had been disgusted at what they had witnessed during the morning but there was nothing they could do about it, it was in the hands of the Wizengamot.

Twenty five minutes later the group made to move back into the room when Draco caught sight of a familiar face off to the side trying to catch his eye.

"I'll be back soon." Draco said to Bill who was closest, before heading off towards Blaise.

"How is it going in there?" the ex-Slytherin asked as Draco stepped up beside him.

"Hard to tell, from our point of view its hands down but there are some bigoted people in there."

"Hm," answered Blaise, "look, we found where they have Elizabeth."

Draco looked up suddenly, "Where?"

"Look, I can't get Sirius or Hermione in, there is just no way unless they wanted to take her."

"Wait, what are you trying to say?"

"I can get you in Draco, but only to see her, there is no way you can take her with you."

"Why not?" Draco asked.

"Firstly, I can probably get you in more than once so if Sirius and Hermione don't get custody _then_ you can go back to get her out. Secondly, I think they will get custody so we don't really want you on the run from the Ministry for kidnapping."

Draco nodded, "Fine, take me to her."

"Are you sure?"

"Just to see if she's ok, I promise I won't take her."

Blaise looked dubious but nodded, "Alright," he said pulling out an ID badge from his robes and handing it to Draco.

"Who's this?" Draco asked looking at the red head with short hair and round glasses.

"That my friend is you. The Ministry seems to be having a slight problem with that bracelet of yours; they're enlisting anyone they can who may be able to remove it. I've added this alias into the system."

"But Elizabeth won't recognize me."

"Once we're in they won't be able to see us, one of you're 'requests' was to have no surveillance because of the effect the charms have on your spells."

"And the Ministry agreed to this?"

"That's the drawback, you only have twenty minutes, they figure if you cant work it out in that amount of time you won't be able to work it out at all."

Draco nodded, "Let's do this then. Weasl-fy me."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

If Draco had to admit one thing it was that Blaise knew what he was doing, somewhere, wherever they were in the Ministry, Blaise had the location of Elizabeth, down twists of corridors, false walls and hidden charms. The Ministry had gone all out to protect the Prophesized child.

Blaise slowed and Draco felt his heartbeat quicken.

"You have to promise me not to take her, this a big risk Draco, no matter what do not take Elizabeth."

Draco nodded.

"Right, in we go Mr Schnitzer."

Draco followed Blaise into the small room where a witch sat at a desk. "Ah Mr Hols, I see you've brought with you Dr Schitzer." She said sending a smile to the red head. Draco nodded in greeting.

"I'll just take the wards down for you, now are you sure you need all of these down? I don't think the Minister would be too pleased if we weren't watching her."

"I can't do my work without them." Answered Draco, "And I think the Minister would be pleased just to have this problem solved."

The witch nodded, "of course, just take the corridor that way, it's the third door on the left."

Draco nodded and moved without waiting for Blaise to catch up. When he reached the right door he turned the knob gently and eased it open.

"Oh Merlin," he breathed as he saw Elizabeth sitting in a little playpen on the floor, the rest of the room failing to grab his attention as he moved over to the small child.

"Wait, Draco." Whispered Blaise coming in behind him and closing the door as Elizabeth looked up at the two new faces.

Draco paused remembering his appearance and turned back to Blaise who preformed the charm.

Turning back Draco felt his heart skip as Elizabeth recognized him. She pulled herself up immediately and attempted to reach him. Bending down Draco picked her up and he felt her small arms move around his neck as she giggled in happiness. "Merlin." He murmured, glad that she seemed alright at first glance.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione frowned as she glanced over at the crowed wondering where Draco was. She didn't have time to ponder it too much before the court resumed for the afternoon. Apparently today the Minister didn't have any further plans and was happy for the trial to continue.

Natasha stood first this time, eager to begin with her witness and final piece of her case to the court.

"All morning we have heard about Elizabeth's safety and her wellbeing in the care of her parents." She began walking around the other side of the desk, "Mr Waslow here has attempted to make a case that Elizabeth is not safe outside of the Ministry's care. This afternoon I intend to disprove this."

She turned to Tompkinson to begin, "Minister who, if you were to name one specific person, would you deem to be a protector, a fighter if you will that will lay their life down for another? Just one name Sir will do."

"Harry Potter." Tompkinson answered with a frown.

Natasha smiled apparently the Minister had given her the exact answer she was after. "Did you realize Minister, and the rest of the room, that although we heard this morning that yes Remus Lupin is Elizabeth's Godfather and he is a werewolf, but that Harry Potter is around her just as much as Remus? Now I know for a fact that Mister Potter would not be happy with this comparison of sorts, but, it appears that these kinds of comparisons appeal to some people." Natasha was pleased to see members of the Wizengamot nod.

"Moving on, Mr Black, what was the first thing you did when the Ministry came to the hospital wing on the day of Elizabeth's first birthday?"

"While the Aurors where there or when they'd left?" Sirius asked.

"When they had left."

"We packed up immediately, Remus and Tonks' house was safe, we went there, we knew no matter how safe Hogwarts is we couldn't risk someone snatching Elizabeth in the middle of the night."

Natasha nodded, "Thank you Sirius. I would like to ask Junior Auror Blake to come forward."

Hermione turned around and gasped as the young Auror that had been sitting with Remus and Tonks in the morning stood and walked up, hesitating slightly before sitting in The Chair.

Sirius looked down at Hermione, confusion in his grey eyes.

"Auror Blake," Natasha started, "You were at the house when Elizabeth was taken into Ministry custody, were you not?"

"Yes I was."

"Can you describe to the court what you witnessed that morning."

"There were too many Aurors and Officials to fit into the small room but those that could sent spells at the Blacks."

"And where was Elizabeth at this time?"

"In her mother's arms, Mrs Black was trying her best to shield her from most of the spells."

Natasha nodded at Auror Blake to continue and he took a deep breath, obviously uncomfortable where he was but seemingly glad to help.

"They fought to protect Elizabeth, Mr. Black was injured badly yet he still managed to keep up protective shields, neither he nor his wife had their wands. They did all humanly possible to protect their child."

"And what other role did you play Auror Blake?"

Blake turned to Hermione, his eyes apologetic, "I-I took Elizabeth from her mothers arms."

Hermione had tears rolling down her face as she relived the memory or Elizabeth's warmth slipping away.

"I took her," Blake continued, "I took her and even as I was doing so, Mrs. Black was pleading for me not to, she was barley conscious, I believe her shoulder was dislocated, her arm broken and her foot injured yet she still had the strength to hold onto her daughter."

"Thank you Auror Blake, I have no further questions. Warrick did you want to ask anything?"

Waslow shook his head, "No, I am quite ready for my closing remarks thank you."

Natasha nodded.

"Very well then," Dumbledore said standing, "we will hear once more from both parties, then retire for the remainder of the day." He glanced apologetically at Sirius and Hermione. "Though I believe some of us already know which way we will decide others may need time to think it over and go over their notes, therefore first thing tomorrow morning we will reconvene here and vote on the situation immediately. Mr Waslow you may go first."

"I will say this, and I can not stress this enough, the safety of the wizarding community lies on the outcome of this case. If you give Elizabeth back to her parents you are putting all that we have built since the fall of he-who-must-not-be-named in jeopardy. Not only that, but it is clear that Elizabeth is not safe in her home environment and unless Mr. and Mrs. Black sever all ties with Mr. Lupin you can not in your right minds let her go home to that situation. Thank you for your time, I hope you make you're decisions logically."

Natasha stood, "All this time the Ministry has been adamant that Elizabeth is safest with them, in their care. But it's not the same, you can not raise a child like that, she will be a shell."

Sirius cringed as Natasha unknowingly used the words he had used to describe the witch he had seen in his dream to Hermione.

"The Prophecy, if the prophecy is so important to the Ministry then take this into consideration before you make your decision, 'a new peril in the air, should this child be taken'. Well she was taken, YOU took her and if you choose not to give her back then I'd look forward to the peril in store for you. Thank you."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Blaise looked on as Draco played with Elizabeth on the small play mat. His blond friend had already activated the tracking charm before inspecting Elizabeth for any injuries. Apart from the small child having lost some weight she appeared to be lacking any other injuries.

"Draco," Blaise murmured. "We need to go."

Draco looked up before looking back down at Elizabeth with resignation.

"Come here Lizzie," he murmured, he was the only one to do that, he mused as he picked Elizabeth up again. The only one to shorten her name.

"Come on Draco, they'll get suspicious."

"You be good ok?" Draco said to Elizabeth, "You'll be back with your Mummy and Daddy in no time."

He moved to put Elizabeth back in the small play pen when she let out a whimper of protest. Behind him Blaise had stepped forward ready to change Draco's appearance again.

"I'm sorry Lizzie," he murmured stepping back, his grey eyes stinging as Elizabeth started to wail in earnest, the familiarity of Draco's features disappearing as she reached out for him.

"I'm sorry."

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	28. Say it isn't so

**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

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**Chapter 27: Say it isn't so.**

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Hermione and Sirius walked silently through the halls of Hogwarts, the day's events replaying through both their minds. The others had decided it was best to leave the pair alone and had gone their separate ways. Hermione smiled at Sirius as they reached their chambers, Sirius holding the door open for her to walk through.

Inside Tonks and Remus were waiting for the pair on the couch. Tonks' hair was back to her natural black locks as she curled up next to Remus who, though his eyes were closed, was gently running a hand through her hair.

Sirius and Hermione moved into the room and sat opposite their friends.

"How did it go?" Tonks asked as Remus opened his eyes in lieu of the new arrivals.

"We find out tomorrow," answered Sirius, "how are you guys doing?"

"Just a little tired," Remus answered quietly.

"Madame Pomfrey wasn't too happy with us," Tonks continued, placing her hands on her slightly rounded stomach, "she said that when I attempted to control my morphing I endangered the baby."

"Is the baby alright?" Hermione asked concerned.

Tonks nodded, "I'm under strict orders not to do that again."

Hermione and Sirius exchanged a guilty look.

"Don't," murmured Remus, "Don't feel guilty. We'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"No you won't," argued Sirius, "There is no way you're going through that again Remus. What did Poppy say about the silver?"

Tonks looked down at her hands and Remus glanced at his bandaged wrists.

"Moony?"

Tonks looked up, "She said that if Remus is exposed to any more silver his chances of making through are slim to none."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Draco, hair once more the blonde locks that fell just past his shoulders and eyes again a piercing silver, made his way through the empty corridors of his old school. Elizabeth's cries still punctured his thoughts and he tried to push them aside as he approached Sirius and Hermione's rooms.

Opening the door he was slightly shocked to see only four people in the room where he was used to seeing a small crowd. Noting the blatant looks of concern on Sirius and Hermione's features Draco turned.

"I'm sorry, I'll come back later," he said, stepping back towards the door.

"Wait," Hermione said standing up and heading towards the blonde, "you weren't at the trial this afternoon, are you alright?"

Draco nodded and stepped back slightly as Sirius came to stand behind Hermione, his grey eyes glaring at the younger wizard.

"Malfoy," he started, reverting back to Draco's surname, "where have you been?"

Confused at Sirius' tone Hermione turned her head to face him, shocked at the look he was sending Draco who was standing his ground, "Sirius?" Hermione asked.

Sirius glanced down at her, "Are you not a least a little curious as to why Draco here smells like Elizabeth?" Sirius asked, his somewhat heightened senses picking up on the scent better than his wife's.

Hermione's eyes widened as she turned back to Draco, "What?"

Draco glared right back at Sirius, not letting the older man intimidate him.

"Draco!" Hermione snapped, bringing his attention to her.

"I…" he started, not actually too sure where in fact to start, by this time Tonks and Remus had turned to face the group and Draco was becoming uncomfortable with the scrutiny he was currently under.

"I went to an old friend for some help, the Zabini's work for Ministry Intellegence," he explained. "I asked if they could find Elizabeth for you."

"They did?" Sirius ventured.

Draco nodded, "Blaise came to me at midday today,"

"Why didn't you wait?" Hermione whispered.

"I had no choice."

The next thing Draco knew he was up against the wall, Sirius' fists in his robes, "What gave you the right?" he asked, voice low, "What gave you the right to assume you could just…"

"Sirius," Hermione said, placing her hand on his arm, "let him go."

Sirius glared once more and dropped Draco before turning and striding into the bedroom, the door slamming behind him.

"I just wanted to see if she was alright." Draco said softly.

"Is she?" Hermione asked softly, her eyes on the door to the bedroom.

"Yeah, for now."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione entered the bedroom to find Sirius pacing. She stood off to the side watching him till he stopped and turned to her.

"What," he started pointing in the direction of the living room, "gives him the right? He didn't even let us know about this venture with the Zabinis. Why did he get to hold her? Why does he get the scent of Elizabeth on his robes?" Sirius' voice cracked when his daughters name passed his lips and he sank to his knees, Hermione moving over next to him, "Why cant I?" Sirius whispered, tears in his grey eyes, now soft and sorrowful as he pulled Hermione into his arms.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_26th May 2000_

Hermione felt the warm sun stream onto her face and she sighed rolling over, her knees colliding with Sirius'. Opening her eyes she was greeted by two pools of grey staring back.

"Sorry," Hermione murmured.

Sirius smiled gently, "It's alright, I was already awake."

Hermione returned the smile and rolled onto her back, smile still on her face, "today." She whispered.

Sirius chuckled; he knew exactly what she meant.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

When Sirius, Hermione and the others arrived at the Ministry the Atrium was brimming with witches and wizards. Under an Auror escort which Dumbledore had insisted on, the group, minus Remus and Tonks, made their way through.

Every second person had a sign of sorts. Some proclaiming the good of the Ministry with sayings plastered on them like, 'For the community' while people shouted abuse at Sirius and Hermione.

"HOW CAN THEY LET AN AZKABAN CONVICT RAISE A CHILD!"

"MUDBLOOD! YOU'RE A HORRIBLE MOTHER?"

Hermione fought back the tears as they made their way through. There was however also shouts of support, a lot from old school friends or ex-students, who also carried signs that boldly went against the Ministry.

It was nearing the courtroom however when they felt relieved they had left Remus and Tonks back at the castle.

"Give the wolf more SILVER!"

Someone had even started up a chant.

"Kill the beast. Kill the beast…"

It was getting out of control; Aurors were fighting back witches and wizards who felt their opinion in the matter was valid enough for action.

Sirius was growling low in his throat but Hermione gripped his hand tightly, there was a time and a place to stand up for Remus. Unfortunately it was not this day.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The courtroom was silent as Sirius and Hermione took their seats next to Natasha. The media was highly anticipating the outcome. Either way it was good news for them. Papers sales had been through the roof all week.

The only empty seat left in the room was the Ministers. Apparently everyone could wait for him…

The doors opened and Sirius' eyes narrowed as a man in familiar aubergine robes entered the room. As he passed Sirius the smell of cigar smoke and cherry's reached his nose.

"Sirius?" Hermione asked

"Hmm?"

"Why are you growling?"

Sirius glanced at Hermione and cleared his throat before glancing at the Minister, taking a seat in his aubergine robes. "No reason." He answered as Dumbedore rose, Tompkinson looked extremely nervous, his face pale as he turned to Dumbledore.

"I think everyone here would like to keep this short. Is there any members who have yet to make a decision?" Dumbledore asked

Hermione scanned the stands in front of her. No one stepped forward.

"Very well," Dumbledore continued. "The decision made today is final. This is as far as the wizarding court system goes, no matter the authority involved custody of Elizabeth Rosalyn Black will be decided now."

"Those who believe Elizabeth should stay in Ministry custody, please, raise your hands."

Sirius and Hermione watched as hands began to rise. There were fifty Wizengamot members. Twenty six hands and it would be the end of the road. The tall wizard at the front's hand rose immediately, followed by the witches and wizards who had been opposed to Remus. The Minister also had his hand in the air.

Sirius took Hermione's hand felt her squeeze back.

Dumbledore nodded, "Those who believe Elizabeth should be with her parents."

The aging Headmaster raised his hand first, followed by Marlene. One by one hands went up into the air.

Sirius tried to keep up, counting each hand. Twenty, Twenty four, Twenty five.

Thirty.

Laughing Sirius stood and pulled Hermione out of her chair and wrapped his arms tightly around her, burying his face in her curls. Across to the side they could hear cheers from their friends, a 'take that you rotten bastards' from what sounded very much like Fred Weasley.

Sirius felt Hermione tremble and pulled back to look down at her face. Tear tracks streamed down her cheeks but her smile was wide and her chocolate eyes bright.

Leaning down Sirius placed a soft lingering kiss on her lips before pulling back, "Lets go get our baby."

Hermione nodded as Sirius glanced up at the Minister who seemed to be in a rush to leave.

"He's the only one here who knows where she is." Hermione said from his side.

"Tompkinson!" Sirius called as the Minister walked across the room.

"No way." He muttered before taking off after Tompkinson who had suddenly broken out into a run.

Harry watched as Sirius and Hermione's eyes followed the Minister before Sirius took off after him, Hermione on his heels.

Without turning around Harry leapt over the small barrier to the main floor and followed, glancing over his shoulder Draco and Bill were right behind him. Leaving behind four rather confused Weasley's.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sirius tore down the corridor after the man in the aubergine robes, Hermione close on his heels.

"Tompkinson!" Sirius roared as the man entered one of the elevators the doors closing in front of them.

Seconds later Sirius and Hermione were in the other, just catching a glimpse of Harry, Bill and Draco following as the door closed.

"Why the hell is he running?" Sirius asked frustrated.

Beside him Hermione agreed but couldn't hide the happiness from her eyes. They had their daughter back.

As the doors dinged open at the Atrium Sirius glanced out and spotted the crowd parting and a flash of the aubergine fabric. Hermione was beside him this time, her smaller frame finding it easier to get through the crowd.

"Stop him!" Sirius shouted.

Somewhere in the crowd people opposed to the Ministry stepped forward blocking Tompkinson's exit. Hermione reached him first and grabbed his arm.

Spinning around the Minister grabbed Hermione's other arm, squeezing tightly causing her to release his in a cry of pain.

Seconds later the Minister had Sirius wand pointed at his throat.

"If you touch my wife again" he growled, eyes flashing, "I'll break your neck."

Tompkinson released Hermione who stepped back slightly. Behind them the others had arrived.

"Now we have that cleared up," Sirius said, "where is our daughter?"

The Minister sneered, "I think you already know the answer to that Black."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"You already have her." The Minister stated.

Sirius shook his head, "If this is some kind of way to keep her you are severely mistaken."

Tompkinson shook his head, "No, it is you that is severely mistaken, as of last night we no longer had your daughter."

"What?" Hermione whispered again, her face paling before her knees gave way.

"You son of a bitch," Sirius growled moving towards the wizard in front of him who stepped back.

"If you hex me Black you'll be sorry." Tompkinson said in a rush.

Sirius didn't hex the Minister; instead he pulled back his fist and slammed it into the side of his face causing the man to fall backwards, robes flying up over his face.

"WHERE IS SHE?" he shouted, looking down at the cowering man.

"Sirius," Draco and Harry were pulling him back, "its ok," said Draco, "I know how to find her."

Sirius' eyes flickered to the blonde before he turned to Hermione and Bill, who was crouched down beside the witch, her eyes now frighteningly blank.

Sinking down beside her Sirius bundled Hermione up in his arms and strode silently through the now deathly quiet crowd.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The reformed group entered Sirius and Hermione's chambers the mood somber.

Hermione was walking now that the shock had died down slightly but still leant on Sirius for support. As everyone walked in Remus and Tonks, who had been joined by Graham, stood up.

One look at Hermione and Tonks' eyes filled with tears. "Oh Merlin." She breathed.

Draco strode over to the bookshelf and pulled open a draw at the bottom, grabbing a handful of dusty maps.

"Sirius?" Remus asked.

"We got her back."

"But?"

"They lost her," Hermione answered as she sank into one of the chairs.

"Its ok," Draco said again, "I can find her."

The group turned to the blonde who had his wand out and hovering over one of the maps, "When I saw her yesterday I activated a tracking charm on her bracelet." He explained as he moved one map aside to look at another.

Sirius' face showed his relief, a flash of guilt flickering in his eyes after yelling at the young wizard the evening before.

The door opened and the group turned to see Dumbledore enter, the twinkle in his eyes gone.

"Do they know who it was?" Hermione asked

Dumbledore nodded, "It appears to have been a small group of Voldemorts followers."

"Oh God," Hermione murmured as Sirius sat beside her and pulled her close.

"Got it!" Draco said triumphantly causing the group to rise and mill around the table.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Shaken from his ordeal in the Atrium, the Minister pushed the large doors to his reception area open. His secretary glanced up did a double take as she noticed the black eye and large bruise on the side of his face.

"Cancel all my appointments for the day." He snapped as he strode towards his office.

"But sir there's already…"

Tompkinson opened his doors to see Severus Snape waiting at his desk, the pale wizard glancing up as the Minister entered before rising to his feet.

"Minister…" Snape started.

"Not today Severus."

"But we had an arrangement," Snape protested, "or have you, Minister forgotten what you promised."

Tompkinson circled his desk and sat in his high backed leather chair.

"There has been a change of circumstances. I'm afraid I am unable to award you your Order of Merlin."

Snape stared at the Minister, letting the words sink in. "WHAT?" he bellowed when he found his voice.

"You see, we no longer have Elizabeth, therefore your information leading us to her is forfeit."

"You son of a bitch."

The Minister winced, that was the second time in less than an hour he'd been called that and he eyed Snape warily, not wanting another black eye to match the one he was currently sporting.

"You lose her back to the Blacks and revoke my Order of Merlin? You can't do that."

"Well, I might think of it differently if the Blacks actually had the child."

For the second time in the office Snape was momentarily speechless, "What?"

"Last night fifteen death eaters entered the Ministry, found Elizabeth and took her."

Snape just stared dumbfounded. Inside he was rather pleased, one more in the heart of Black.

The Minister glanced at Snape, an idea forming in his head.

"Actually, I may have a way you can earn back your Order of Merlin."

Snape glared, "What makes you think I'd do anything for you after revoking it the first time?"

Tompkinson chuckled, "Because I know you Snape, you fight for whatever side wins, you're smart, and you would do basically anything for an Order of Merlin. Something that people will remember when you are long gone."

Snape continued to glare.

"All you have to do," the Minister continued, "is find Elizabeth and bring her back to me. Discretely."

"What makes you think I know where she is?"

"I don't think you do, but like I said you're smart, I'm sure you could find your old Death Eater buddies with no problem."

Snape thought it over. He was practically an outcast as it was and very soon he would have a rather pissed off Animagus after him.

He had nothing else to lose.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Where is that?" Harry asked as they watched a small blue glow emit from a point on the map.

"That is in the Scottish Highlands," Dumbledore answered. "If memory serves that was Grindewald's fortress, built inside a mountain."

"Alright," Harry said taking charge as Draco enlarged the point on the map, "There looks like there is two main ways in, the front door and the back door. Bill, Fred and Graham you go round the back," he said pointing to the small entrance on the map, "Sirius, Draco, Remus, Hermione and I…"

"No."

Harry glanced up at his godfather, "err no?"

Sirius, his eyes still on the map repeated himself, "No. Hermione's not coming."

All eyes flickered to Hermione who looked up at her husband sharply, "Excuse me?"

Sirius turned to face her, "You're not coming."

Hermione glared, "There is no way you can make me stay here while you go after _our_ daughter!"

"It's not safe," Sirius stated, "I want you here, with Tonks and Ginny."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest but was cut off with a look from Harry.

"Not safe?" Hermione whispered before her voice began to rise again, "You have no right to tell me what I can and can not do!"

Sirius' grey eyes flashed as he looked down at his furious wife, "I am your husband, so do not tell me I have no right." He growled.

"SHE IS MY DAUGHTER TOO!" Hermione shouted.

"AND I WILL NOT CHANCE LOSING THE BOTH OF YOU!" Sirius yelled back.

"So I have to sit at Hogwarts like a good little wife?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"YES!"

Hermione had tears in her eyes, shocked at what Sirius was saying, the couple oblivious to those around them.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Because you're _pregnant_ God damn IT!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o


	29. Good guys dont always wear white

**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 28: Good Guys don't always wear White**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Hermione stared at Sirius as the room fell silent.

"What?" She whispered eyes wide.

Sirius broke the eye contact he and Hermione held and looked around at the array of faces looking back at the couple. Glancing back at Hermione he stepped closer, ushering her in the direction of their room.

"Come on," he murmured, following close behind and gently pulling the door closed.

Hermione wandered over and sat on the edge of the bed, placing her hands on her stomach, a look of confusion on her face. Sirius crouched down in front of her and rested his hands on her knees.

"I'm not…" Hermione started, shaking her head while Sirius merely sent her a gentle smile, "I would know." She insisted.

"_I _know," Sirius said softly, "In case you haven't noticed I do tend to watch you like a hawk."

Hermione smiled, "It still doesn't mean…"

"You know the charm right?"

Hermione nodded, "But Elizabeth…" she protested, her chocolate eyes darting back to the door.

Sirius listened to the voices in the other room before replying, "Harry and Remus can plan it, we'll join them soon, you just…you need to do this Hermione." He murmured.

Hermione nodded and got to her feet, making her way to the bathroom.

"I'll just wait out here." Sirius said as his wife closed the door behind her.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Elizabeth was sitting on a small dais looking around at the group of faces looking back. She didn't like these people; they felt as cold and desolate as where they had taken her. The room was dim and moist with flickering torches casting harsh lines on the dark stone walls.

"That was easy," remarked Helena, the only female left in the small group of Death Eaters.

"We almost blew it," the tall wizard Nelson argued back, "We should have left McCraken here."

"First of all," Helena replied, "We've got her so stop complaining. And secondly…McCracken can't control the voices in his head, leave him be."

A cackle of laughter from the corner brought Elizabeths soft blue eyes to a man huddled staring into the tip of his wand. Voices, yes, one could not stop the overpowering conviction that there were people living in the long shaft of wood.

"So what next?" Asked a short brown haired wizard off to the side.

Everyone glanced back at the child in front of them. This small, delicate one year old would someday bring them everything their Dark Lord had worked so had for into fruition.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sirius stared down at his hands as he waited for Hermione to come back into the room. Outside the setting sun cast warm colours all over the walls.

Sirius felt anything but warm.

Flashes of his dream appeared sporadically as nightmarish visions before his waking eyes.

Death Eaters had Elizabeth. His baby girl. His Munchkin.

It had been seven days since he held his daughter in his arms. Seven days that felt like a lifetime.

Why did people always tear the ones he loves away from him?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione sat numbly on the edge of the bath before slowly sinking to the floor, her wand lying forgotten at her side. Again she placed her hands on her stomach, this time trying her hardest to put a smile on her face. But as Elizabeth's face flashed in front of her eyes there was nothing apart from the warm tears that ran down her cheeks.

"Hermione?" Sirius opened the door and Hermione looked up, meeting his grey eyes.

"You got changed." She stated simply.

Simple things were easy.

Sirius walked in, heavy black travelling robes adorning his frame billowing as he crouched down beside her.

"Seven weeks," Hermione said softly, "I should be happy right?"

Sirius shook his head and pulled her closed, "Not yet," he murmured, "Not yet."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sirius moved to open the door back into the main room when it opened slowly revealing Remus on the other side.

"Hey Moony," Sirius said gently as he and Hermione re-entered the room, "What's the plan?" he asked as they moved back to the table with the large map on it.

"We have two apparition points," the Werewolf answered pointing to one side of the mountain. "One here next to what appears to be a charred tree, that's where Fred, Bill and Graham are going."

"And one here," Harry continued pointing to a point just south of a large spire type structure about two kilometers from the main entrance, "its further enough away from the entrance not to attract attention but close enough not to have take too long to get there. That's where we'll be apparating to, you, me, Draco, Remus and…" he trailed off glancing at Hermione.

"I'm staying here," she said quietly, "You have three days, if I haven't heard from you then I'm coming to get you."

Sirius looked ready to protest but Harry just looked amused, "Yes Ma'am"

Sirius glanced back down at the map, committing the image to memory. There was nothing he could do to stop Hermione following. Save binding her to a bookcase and donating her wand to the Giant Squid…

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Melanie and her friends looked out of the first year dormitory window at the grounds below. Night had fallen but the moon was bright, not full mind as they watched their Defence against the Dark Arts professor walk out with the small group.

"What do you suppose they're doing?" Jessica asked.

Melanie glanced down at the Daily Prophet article in her hands, informing the wizarding world about the morning's events.

"They're going to get Elizabeth back." She said, glancing back down at Sirius and Hermione who walked slightly behind the rest of the group.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Tonks glared stubbornly at her fiancé, her black locks rising slightly in the wind. The group had stopped just outside the Hogwarts wards and were waiting for Sirius and Hermione to catch up.

Remus smiled at Tonks and pulled her close, resting one hand on her slightly rounded stomach.

"You shouldn't be going," she protested.

"I'm fine," Remus replied, "Besides someone needs to keep an eye on that cousin of yours while Hermione can't."

Tonks sighed, her violet eyes worried. Stepping closer still she rested her head on Remus' chest, "I have a really bad feeling about this." She whispered, "Just stay."

"You know I can't," Remus murmured back resting his chin on the top of her head and holding her close till they were ready to leave.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Harry stared right back at the if-looks-could-kill look Ginny was sending his way.

"What if one of you gets hurt?" she asked, "I could help!"

Harry shook his head, "We'll come straight back to Hogwarts."

"This is just so….so…sexist!" the redhead fumed.

"Ginny," Harry said gently pulling her close, "I know you want to come, and I know you'd be able to help. But think about Hermione and Tonks, you can help here too."

Ginny glanced over at Remus and Tonks before her eyes flickered to Sirius and Hermione further back, "I just don't like to be left at home," she said, her eyes showing her disappointment.

Harry smiled apologetically, "I know," he said gently kissing her, "come on, let's say goodbye to those siblings of yours." And he led the way to where Bill and Fred were standing with Draco and Graham.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Here," Hermione said handing Sirius a pair of think woolen socks, "They're charmed to keep dry, just in case."

Sirius smiled and took the socks, pocketing them without taking his eyes off his wife's face. "I'm going to bring her back." He murmured, placing his finger beneath Hermione's chin and lifting her face gently so he could look her in the eye.

"You just be careful," Hermione said softly, placing her hands on Sirius' chest while fighting back the tears.

"I'm always careful," he said with a small boyish grin, before dropping it after the look Hermione sent him. "I'll be fine, its just a few Death Eaters, I'll be back before you know it."

Hermione nodded, "And if you're not, I'm coming to get you."

"Alright," Sirius acquiesced before pulling her close and claiming her lips with her own in a gently kiss to warm him to the bone.

"I love you." Hermione whispered.

"I love you too." Sirius replied, raising his hand to her cheek in a soft caress before stepping back and leading the way to the group.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Ten minutes later Hermione, Ginny, and Tonks were standing alone on the soft grass. Looking over at her two friends Hermione smiled shakily and stepped away leading the way back to the castle.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Graham looked down the steep slope next to the tree he and the two Weasley men had apparated to. It was muddy and rocky; things were going to get a little messy making their way down.

"We do this quietly," the ex-Auror instructed the curse breaker and joker, "I'll go first, give it a few minutes then you can follow Fred, then Bill another few minutes after that."

The two redheads nodded and Graham turned to make his way down the slope using branches of nearby trees to keep his feet from sliding out beneath him. Reaching a stand of Heather he looked back up the slope to see Fred slowly following behind, his elder brother keeping a cautious eye on the twin.

Turning back around he carefully positioned his feet and continued down the slope towards the stone ridges of the mountain deeper in the gully.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sirius turned and looked back at the three wizards following him as they made their way up the hill to the spire a few hundred meters away. From there the climb would continue till they reached the main entrance of the fortress.

Harry was directly behind him, followed by Draco with Remus bringing up the rear. Sirius' eyes lingered on the werewolf for a moment, just making sure his friend wasn't still feeling the after effects of the silver from the day before.

Satisfied with Remus' level of health Sirius turned and continued up the hill. The summer air was crisp and cool in the Scottish Highlands and Sirius could feel heat from a number of places around him. On each hand he bore a ring, each gifted to him from Hermione, one the valentines gift given long years ago, the other his wedding ring. The two objects emitted a constant feeling of warmth. Slipping his hand into the pocket of his robes his fingers wrapped around the thick pair of woolen socks. Smiling to himself his grey eyes moved back to the spire just ahead causing Sirius to pick up the pace.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione gently closed the door to her and Sirius' room after saying goodnight to Tonks and Ginny, both who were staying close by. Sighing she looked around the room. The large four poster bed standing against the far wall seemed far too big for just one person. Her chocolate eyes flickered to the small bedside table on her side of the bed and the object that lay on it.

Walking over she picked up the piece of parchment, fingering the familiar script on the front spelling out her name. Sitting on the edge of the bed Hermione opened the letter.

_Hermione_

_It breaks my heart to leave you like this. After all that we've been through together we're having to part at one of the most difficult times we've both ever had to face.  
You don't know how hard it will be for me to apparate away tonight, leaving you here. Over the past week you've been my strength, no matter the front I've put on if it were not for you I would be a broken man. I only hope that my will to find Elizabeth, to return her to your arms gives me the strength to finish this without you by my side. _

_I love you sweetheart, so much. Remember that. _

_All my heart. _

_Sirius_

Hermione blinked back the tears as she re-read the last word again and lay back on the soft pillows on the bed that was far too big for one person.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

As the group approached the guard tower close to an hour after leaving Hogwarts, Sirius' gaze traveled up the height of it. Placed at regular intervals were long sharp spikes, twisted while still hot to form a sickening sight to any that may wander near.

"Nice." Draco muttered, "I think the decorator had a slight mental problem."

Sirius turned; Harry, Draco and Remus were standing slightly behind him as the four wizards paused for a short rest.

Opening his mouth to speak Sirius hesitated and drew his wand, his grey eyes flickering to the dense Heather surrounding them.

They were not alone.

Clapping sounded from behind the tower and the group, wands drawn directed their attention to the sound.

"Well done." A voice drawled before a familiar pale face appeared around the corner.

"Snape." Sirius spat, glaring at the other wizard.

"How on _earth_ did you find this place?" the ex-Potions Master asked looking at each member of the small party.

"What are _you_ doing here Snape?" Sirius asked, ignoring the previous question.

Snapes eyes moved to Sirius and he glared hatefully at the other man. "Have you not got it through that thick head of yours yet Black that I hate you."

Sirius glared right back, "I think 'hate' is an understatement."

"For once in your pathetic life Black, you are right, I _loathe_ you, despise you even, and I've even worked out the best way at hurting you."

Sirius remained silent, a soft growl emitting from his throat.

"Just seeing the look on your face made turning you and your little family into the Ministry worth it. I don't have a care in the world for that little brat of yours. But I know you do. Which is why the Minister will be pleased when I bring her back to him."

"You son of a bitch." Sirius growled advancing on the other man.

Snape smirked and pulled a vial from his pocket, "Remember Black. The best way to hurt you is through the ones you love."

As Sirius drew close Snape threw the potion in the air just before he felt himself being lifted of the ground by the force of Sirius reaching him.

The vial shimmered in the moonlight before landing with a smash of glass at the feet of Harry, Draco and Remus.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o


	30. Flesh and Bone

**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

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**Chapter 29: Flesh and Bone**

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After an hour of trying to find sleep Hermione gave up. Slipping out from under the covers that were void of any of the warmth Sirius constantly emitted, she stepped barefoot to where she'd left her cloak pooled in a pile of think velvet next to the door.

Setting the comforting warmth around her shoulders she slowly opened the door.

In the main room Tonks and Ginny had transfigured a bed each. The bed closest to Hermione had red hair sprouting from beneath the sheets and was still, its occupant resting comfortably. The other however shifted slightly as its occupant tried to find sleep.

Tip-toeing over Hermione gently nudged Tonks whose violet eyes flew open.

"Hermione?" she asked quietly

Hermione smiled reassuringly, "I was just going for a walk."

"Couldn't sleep either?"

Hermione shook her head and stepped back as Tonks exited the heavy covers and reached for her beloved combat boots. Hermione glanced down at her own bare feet, the boots Tonks had gifted her when they'd first found her at Malfoy Manor sat back in her room, the night breeze would be refreshing on her feet.

Leaving a quick note should the youngest Weasley wake Hermione and Tonks left the room quietly.

The pair walked in silence through the halls, Tonks' boots thudding softly on the stone floors while Hermione stepped silently beside her.

When they reached the Entrance Hall Tonks glanced at Hermione who nodded and opened the large doors, slipping out into the crisp spring air, the grass moist on Hermione's bare feet.

"It's strange," Tonks said, breaking the silence, "trying to sleep, do something so normal when there's someone you care for out there. Somewhere."

"It's not strange," Hermione replied, "It's Love."

Tonks smiled, her hands falling on her stomach as they walked down the hill, Hermione's initial destination now obvious as the small cemetery came into view in the moonlight.

Tonks' violet eyes darted to Hermione's stomach, a look Hermione didn't miss.

"He did say he watches me like a hawk."

Tonks grinned, "Bit of an understatement there."

Hermione blushed, "I can't believe he worked it out before I did."

Tonks stepped through the small gateway leading into the cemetery and shook her head, "I can't believe he managed to work it out with everything that's happened in the past week. Then again Sirius is known for his peculiarity."

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Sirius felt Snape hit something as a small explosion rocketed behind him. Snape gasped before a gurgling sound escaped his lips, his dark eyes widening.

Looking down between the pair Sirius felt his blood run cold. Between the black robes. Between the hate. Between two mere wizards. Between life and death.

Sirius gulped as he looked at the twisted spike protruding from Snapes torso, the tip dripping crimson into a small pool at their feet. Glancing back up his grey eyes met Snapes own shocked pair as a trail of scarlet dripped from the corner of his mouth. Sirius opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out, his hands now trying to support the gasping wizard in front of him.

The world around Severus Snapes eyes faded into darkness and the last thing he was startled to ever see were the remorseful grey eyes holding his own.

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As the glass vial neared the ground, Harry, Draco and Remus all leapt out of the way.

Landing painfully on his arm Harry gasped as the bright explosion hit him, shards of glass and liquid falling onto his legs. As he caught his breath another sound made him leap to his feet, his own pain forgotten.

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He didn't clench his teeth this time to hold back the scream. It was humanly impossible as the silver hit him as he dove for cover. Blinding pain hit his right leg and Remus' guttural scream of agony echoed off the sides of the surrounding valley and mountain slopes.

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Spinning around at the sound of the Werewolf's scream Sirius saw Harry and Draco move to Remus, his cry ringing loudly in the Animagus' ears. Tearing back down the slope, Snape forgotten, Sirius knelt by his best friends side. Remus' breathing was ragged and quick as air hissed past his teeth.

"Remus! Remus look at me!" Sirius pleaded as another agonizing scream tore from the werewolf's throat, his hand now clasping the other wizards.

Remus cracked open his amber eyes and met Sirius grey head on. "I'm going to get you out of here, ok?" Sirius promised as Remus' face lost its remaining colour and sweat dripped from every pore.

As Remus' eyes closed again Sirius' moved to look at the damage, still squeezing Remus' hand.

Remus' right leg was a mess. It looked like someone had set it on fire; the skin was red and raw as blood oozed onto the ground below. Reaching out Sirius gently touched the burns resulting in Remus lurching away from him, the quick movement forcing another scream to escape his lips.

"We've got to get him back to Hogwarts." Harry said in a rush, unable to tear his green eyes from the wound.

"I'm taking him." Sirius said immediately, not readily trusting the other two to do it.

Harry shook his head. "You need to get Elizabeth back, I'll go."

"No." said Draco, "You _both_ need to get to Elizabeth. I'm taking him."

Harry and Sirius looked at each other and back down at Remus before nodding.

"Alright," Sirius agreed, "you'll have to apparate, using a portkey is too jarring."

Draco nodded, his silver eyes flicking to the still form of Snape up the slope before coming back to the other two.

"Remus," Sirius said softly, close so the werewolf could hear, "Draco's going to take you back to Hogwarts. It's going to hurt a lot but we have no choice. Ok?"

The only indication that Remus had heard his friend was the slight nod of his head.

Turning back to Draco Sirius nodded and helped the blonde get the werewolf to his feet. Once he was sure they were both secure Sirius stepped back and without any hesitation Draco apparated and the pair were gone.

Staring at the spot where Remus had just been Sirius took in a ragged breath, Tonks' voice in his head_ 'if Remus is exposed to any more silver his chances of making through are slim to none'_

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Hermione sat in front of Ron's grave talking quietly while Tonks stood further back. It always calmed her nerves to come here and talk to her friend, warmth always followed like Ron's soothing reply.

A popping in the distance made her stop and she turned at the same time as Tonks. Standing and making her way over to the other witch Hermione squinted as she saw a figure struggling up the grounds of Hogwarts.

"That's Draco." She said moving quickly to the exit, Tonks not moving.

"Tonks?" Hermione asked when the Metamorphmagus didn't follow her.

"That's Remus." She breathed.

Hermione's eyes flickered back from the pale witch to Draco and the other person he was struggling with. As realization dawned Hermione took off, grabbing Tonks' hand to make sure the witch followed.

Wand out Hermione raced up the hill and cast a featherweight charm on Remus in the distance. Instantly Draco managed to lift the werewolf into his arms and he turned to see where the spell had come from, shocked to see Hermione and Tonks running up the hill towards him.

Knowing he couldn't afford to wait he turned back to the castle and ran as fast as he could, Remus unconscious in his arms having passed out after the apparition.

As he neared the entrance another spell shot past and the large doors slowly opened letting him through without pausing.

Racing through the halls towards the hospital wing he could hear Hermione and Tonks gaining on him. Turning a corner Hermione ran past and continued on to wake Madame Pomfrey while Tonks slowed down to his pace a strangled gasp emitting from her lips as she took in the sight of her fiancé.

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Sirius turned back to Harry who'd been quiet for a while now. His green eyes were staring at a spot in the distance. Following his gaze Sirius found himself looking at Snape, impaled on the tower beyond.

"Wait here." Sirius said softly while he made his way slowly back up the small slope.

Reaching Snape, Sirius found it difficult to tear his eyes from the placid pale face in front of him. The blood had stopped falling ominously to the ground after Snapes heart had ceased to beat, his toes dragged in the dust and his arms hung limply at his sides.

Reaching out Sirius gently eased the Potions Master off the twisted spike and lay him lightly on the ground, struggling slightly with the dead weight. A minute later a shadow fell over Snapes blank face blocking out the moonlight and Sirius looked up to see Harry staring down.

Looking back down, Sirius brought his hand up and closed the dark staring eyes before using Snapes cloak to cover the body.

Sirius cleared his throat and stood glancing back at Harry.

"Harry?" Sirius asked quietly.

Harry looked up from the body at his Godfather, his green eyes angry.

"I'm glad," he said forcefully, "I'm glad he's dead, he's caused nothing but pain to those around him."

"Harry." Sirius said his tone more comforting as he stepped over to the shocked young man.

"I'm glad." Harry repeated as Sirius gently pulled him away.

Harry may have been glad, but Sirius was just cold. He'd taken another life. Not in defence. In anger.

In anger he'd killed another man.

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The hospital wing was a bustle of activity as Draco lay Remus on one of the unoccupied beds. Hermione and Madame Pomfrey were moving at speeds around the room gathering potions and salves to help. Students in the wing were woken and looked on curiously. Tonks stood next to Remus her hand clasped in his as she brushed his bangs away from his eyes.

"Remus," she murmured, "Remus wake up."

"Tonks," Draco whispered, his hands falling on her shoulders and pulling her back slightly, "you need to stand back."

Tonks felt herself stepping back with the young Malfoy, her eyes falling to her fiancés leg where his robes lay in tatters, his skin scorched.

Closing her eyes she spun around to face Draco.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

When Draco didn't answer Tonks eyes flashed open, "What happened?" she repeated more forcefully.

"We met Snape on the trail. He threw a potion."

"_Snape?_"

Draco nodded.

"I'll kill him." Tonks exclaimed as she stepped away from Draco. "That Son of a Bitch! I swear, I'll kill him."

"Tonks" Draco said softly stepping up to the witch.

"NO!" Tonks shouted ripping her arm from Draco's grip, "NO!" she screamed letting her anger and grief out on a nearby tray of potions, the glass shattering on the floor.

Draco stepped up to her, his eyes flickering to Hermione who was watching her friend while trying to help Madame Pomfrey. Bundling the grieving witch in his arms he sank to the floor with her as her knees gave way.

"I'll kill him." She whispered, "I'll kill him."

Draco merely rocked her to calm her down; not having the heart to tell her, her cousin had already done the job for her.

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Sirius and Harry made their way up to the entrance of the fortress in silence. In the distance large doors could be seen carved into the side of the mountain.

"Did you know?" Harry asked Sirius breaking the silence.

"Know what?" Sirius asked.

"That Snape had told the Ministry where to find you."

Sirius nodded, "Remus told me, he worked it out before Snape did his runner."

"And he did nothing?"

Sirius glanced at Harry and sighed, "Remus isn't the kind of person to purposely hurt someone."

"But Snape just…"

"I am well aware of what Snape just did Harry, he was the polar opposite of Remus. He cared for no one but himself."

Climbing up a particular rough part of the trail Sirius turned and offered his hand to help Harry as they continued up the gully to the large mountain that bore down on the pair.

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Graham slowed as the small entrance came into view and let the Weasley's catch up.

"Over there." He whispered as he felt their presence behind him, "You two ready?" he asked, slightly wary that though they were both members of the Order neither had Auror training. Nonetheless the two redheads nodded and Graham led the way to the entrance hidden in the Heather.

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Tonks stood off to the side as Hermione and Madame Pomfrey prepared to cleanse Remus' blood. The area around them had been curtained off from the curious eyes of the students and Tonks had seen Hermione surreptitiously cast a silencing charm.

The Metamorphmagus remembered the last time Remus' blood was cleansed, his face from the night of the battle as Sirius and Hermione helped him was still etched in her mind.

"Are you ready?" Madame Pomfrey asked Hermione.

Still dressed in her dark blue pyjama pants and black singlet, her cloak forgotten at the door, Hermione nodded before turning to Tonks.

"You don't have to be here for this." She said quietly.

"Yes I do." Tonks said stepping up to stand next to Remus' head.

Madame Pomfrey stood by Remus' right leg ready to focus on the worst area while Hermione dealt with the rest.

Moments later soft glows emitted from the witches wands. They worked in silence for about ten seconds before Remus lurched. His amber eyes flew open as the pain hit him, a strangled cry escaping his lips.

"Remus!" Tonks pleaded trying to get him to focus his attention on her but his eyes were squeezed shut as he withered on the bed.

"Hold him!" Madame Pomfrey ordered as she tried desperately to keep Remus' wounded leg as stable as she could.

Tonks tried to hold him down, tears streaming down her face as Draco stepped in quickly to help, his strength only just able to keep the weakened Lycan on the bed.

As more agonizing cries rose from her fiancés lips Tonks turned to the nurse at the other end of the bed. "Stop it! Please just stop it!"

"It has to be done." Madame Pomfrey replied not taking her eyes off Remus' leg.

"But you're HURTING HIM!"

"Tonks we have to." Hermione said over the noise.

Tonks looked at the witch beside her. Tears were falling down Hermione's face as well as she struggled to complete the spell. "But…" Tonks started.

"If we don't he'll die." Hermione said quietly.

Draco looked up from trying to restrain Remus and glanced at Hermione and Madame Pomfrey before his silver eyes fell back to Hermione and her shaking hands.

"Stop." He said causing Tonks gaze to turn to him. "Stop now. It's too much for all of you!"

Hermione shook her head and continued, her glowing wand shimmering over Remus.

"I said STOP!" Draco yelled, reaching out and grabbing Hermione's wand from her hand. Hermione let out a startled cry causing Madame Pomfrey to look up, losing her concentration and breaking the spell.

On the bed Remus stopped struggling but his breathing was ragged and punctuated with long moans.

"I'm going to get Ginny." Draco stated, standing up straight and handing Hermione back her wand. "Don't try anything till I get back."

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	31. King of the Mountain

**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

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**Chapter 30: King of the Mountain**

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The room was large but warm. The only one warm enough in the ancient fortress for a one year old. That is where Elizabeth was placed with a disgruntled Helena, the others arguing that her womanly motherly instincts might surface near an infant. The males of the group refused to listen to Helena's arguments of only ever feeling the instinct to kill infants in their presence and left Elizabeth with the risk of infanticide.

Looking around at the portraits adorning the walls Helena felt resigned to the fact that even though she felt like she got the bad end of the deal with the kid she would at least have the best chamber in the castle. Her catlike eyes flickered to the child in the cot she'd transfigured on the other side of the room. Elizabeth's blue eyes were closed as the events of the past day caught up on her small body.

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In the rising sun the entrance to Grindewald's fortress towered over Sirius as he waited till Harry was standing beside him. Casting his grey eyes further up from the images of snakes and spiders Sirius felt infinitely dwarfed by the size of the Mountain in which the fortress was entombed.

"Maybe we should have looked for another way in." Harry said quietly, following Sirius' gaze.

Sirius shook his head, "There was no time." He replied, reaching out slowly for the handle. Heaving slightly against the weight of the door Sirius pulled until there was just enough room for him and Harry to slip inside.

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Fred stared down at the parchment in his hands. It showed layer upon layer of corridors and rooms, the floor they were presently on a bolder line of ink than the rest.

"This place is huge." Fred murmured to the others, "It's bigger than Hogwarts."

Bill chuckled, "I think Hogwarts is a lot bigger that what everyone is led to believe."

"What does it show?" Graham asked coming back after checking one of the rooms off to the side.

"It looks like she's about ten floors beneath us." Fred murmured as they began walking down the corridor close to the wall. "We just can't tell if she is alone or not."

On the map a small dot dimly blinked as Elizabeth's bracelet showed them the way.

The trio stepped up to a balcony and looked down into the chasm below, the stone stairs spiraling down through the heart of the mountain and disappearing into the darkness of its bowels.

"Merlin." Fred whispered.

"Look, there." Bill pointed out, ignoring his brothers' quiet exclamation. Ten floors below a faint flicker of light cut through the darkness.

"Let's take it slow," Graham advised as the small group began to silently make their way down the stairs.

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Twenty story's below Sirius and Harry were slowly making their way up the stairs in darkness, periodically checking an identical map to the one Fred had. The stone stairs were moist and slippery, a thin film of moss and lichens building up over the years of emptiness. From time to time Godfather and Godson had to skirt piles of rubble from the surrounding walls, scorch marks evident of the ominous past that befell the veins of the mountain.

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Draco sped down the hall, vaguely aware of the fact that the sun had risen as his boots echoed off the walls. Students on their way to breakfast before the minimal classes offered started, turned to look curiously at the blonde as he raced past.

Reaching Sirius and Hermione's chambers Draco pushed open the door and looked around at an empty room. He heard his quarry before he saw her.

"A walk, that's nice. _Where_ the bloody hell are you taking a walk?"

"Ginny!" Draco shouted, moving into the master bedroom where Ginny hurried out, finishing tying her red hair into a ponytail.

"Draco…what you are doing here?"

"You need to come with me now." he said, already making his way out of the room.

Ginny followed processing what was happening as Draco broke off into a run. If Draco was back and Ginny was needed somewhere…

"Who is it?" She asked fearfully, trying to catch up with the blonde.

"Remus."

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"I think they need to hire a new repo man." Fred said stopping at the edge of a break in the stone staircase, vaguely remembering a conversation between his father and Harry.

Bill and Graham stepped up beside him and looked at the ten meters of shoddy wooden stairs spiralling downwards.

Cautiously Graham stepped out. The wood was moist and dark and groaned portentously beneath his feet as he took another step.

Eyeing the long haired ex-Aurors slow progress Fred turned to his brother.

"Can't we just charm the stairs?" he whispered.

Bill shook his head, his dragon's fang earring following the movement. "Too risky," he replied, "you go next." he instructed as Graham reached halfway.

Slowly Fred made his way down, testing each step before he added his weight.

Ahead Graham put both feet back on solid stone and turned to check on the others. Fred was about five meters from Graham will Bill a few meters behind him.

Beneath Bill's feet he felt the stairs shift as a whole and froze. Just ahead of him Fred did the same thing.

"The whole damn thing is moving!" Fred whispered fearfully.

At the bottom Graham assessed the situation, "Bill," he instructed quietly, "wait there for a moment. Fred I want you to keep coming."

"Are you insane!" The redhead asked.

"Do you want to stay there forever?" Graham whispered back.

"Just levitate the stairs...or us!"

"We don't know what wards they have up."

"Screw the wards."

"Fred!" Bill whispered harshly from behind, "Just keep moving"

Outnumbered Fred glanced back down at the stairs in front of him.

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Ginny followed Draco into the hospital wing and ducked through the white curtain as he held it back for her.

"Oh Merlin." She breathed her eyes falling immediately to Remus, his right leg burnt red and raw. Rolling up her sleeves she quickly moved next to Madame Pomfrey.

"We need your help to cleanse his blood." Hermione said as the healer in training stood opposite her.

"You haven't yet?" Ginny asked shocked as she glanced down at Remus' pale face as the werewolf breathed erratically, Tonks was next to his head talking to him quietly.

Hermione shook her head, "We tried," she answered, purposely not looking at Draco.

Ginny's eyes widened, "You're going to do it again?"

"We have no choice, do we?" Hermione snapped, the lack of sleep and worry for her friend taking its toll.

Ginny nodded and Madame Pomfrey moved down the bed so Ginny could let Draco in. He cast a concerned glance at Hermione's trembling hands before he put as much weight as needed on the lycan's chest and nodded to the witches around him.

This time Remus' reaction was instantaneous and as the three wands began to glow he lurched on the bed trying to get away from the pain. Tonks helped Draco hold her fiancé down as his body was racked with spasms, his cries echoing throughout the room.

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Shakily Fred put both his feet back on solid stone and he turned to Bill who sent him a proud grin. Sending his own forced one back Fred watched as his elder brother started towards them, the stairs creaking beneath his feet.

About ten steps up from the end the whole staircase gave a sudden sway and Fred felt the blood drain from his face as the wooden steps began to detach from the wall.

Giving up completely on moving slowly Bill sped down the remaining stairs as they began to disappear beneath his feet. Three steps from Fred and Graham all he felt was air.

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"Get back!" Sirius called as he looked up to see falling debris rain down from above.

Stepping back against the wall Sirius and Harry watched as pieces of broken wood flew past, the odd part hitting the banister next to them and sending splinters through the air as the rest rumbled against the ancient floor of the entrance where they had come from.

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Helena stepped cautiously into the hall and looked in the direction of the crash.

"Stupid rotting pile of junk." Nelson muttered from further back down the hall, his head poking out of his door.

Helena sneered back at him. "Go back and get your beauty sleep Nelson, I'm going to go and check it out."

Nelson nodded, "I'll watch over our precious commodity then shall I?"

Not caring what her fellow Death Eater did or not, Helena began to make her way down the corridor.

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Bill opened his eyes and looked down. He was hanging over the darkness beneath them, his long legs kicking slightly in the air.

Looking back up he met his brothers eyes.

"You need to lose some weight." Fred breathed as he held onto Bills wrist. Grahams head appeared over the edge and he offered another hand. Swinging his other hand up Bill grasped both wizards above him and was slowly pulled up, back over the edge.

"Alright?" Fred asked, catching his breath.

Bill nodded his adrenaline racing, "I think so, just give me a minute." He replied, his breathing slowing back down to normal.

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Draco leant warily against the wall of the private room that had once housed Ginny.

Instead of her in the bed the red head lay asleep on the small couch next to him as Remus occupied the bed.

Looking over at the unconscious Werewolf, Draco wondered if he'd done the right thing in stopping Hermione and Madame Pomfrey. Remus was as white as the sheets surrounding him as his chest rose and fell with the charm the medi-witch had preformed to help him breathe. Next to him sat Tonks, her violet eyes blank as she stared at nothing in particular, her fiancés hand lightly clasped in her own.

Hermione was standing at the window, now dressed in black robes, staring, lost in thought. As if feeling Draco's gaze she turned, frowning for a moment before stepping towards the door.

Draco pushed himself off the wall and followed, once the door to the room was closed Hermione turned on him.

"What happened?" she asked quietly. "You weren't even gone two hours and…" Hermione trailed off unable to find the words.

Looking around at the young faces curiously watching the pair from the beds Draco gently put a hand under Hermione's elbow and lead her out into the hall.

"We met Snape on the trail before we reached the entrance." He explained quietly.

"What was...?"

"To earn back his Order of Merlin."

Hermione frowned confused before realization dawned and her eyes widened. "It was him."

Draco nodded, "He was going to get Elizabeth and take her back to the Minister."

"What do you mean 'was'?" Hermione asked, her sharp mind picking up on the remark. "What happened?"

"I don't think he meant for it to happen. It was all so quick."

"Draco." Hermione said, eyes worried, "What did Sirius do?"

"He killed him."

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As Bill stood a blinding pain hit his left leg and the colour drained from his face before he sat heavily back on the ground.

"Merlin." He breathed as he held the top of his leg in a vain attempt to stop the pain.

"Bill?" Fred asked sinking back down beside his brother.

"I think I broke my leg." Bill answered a sheen a sweat on his forehead, "Just go, I'll catch up." He ordered, grasping his wand and attempting to remember the right spells to heal broken bones.

Graham nodded from above, "Come on Fred."

Fred looked torn but stood and followed Graham, leaving his brother next to the broken staircase.

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Hermione sat quietly in her empty chambers looking out at the sun high in the sky. It was peaceful here. The hospital wing was quiet but the wrong kind of quiet Hermione was seeking.

Despite the early summers heat she pulled her thick cloak around her shoulders, the lingering scent of Sirius filling her senses. Warmth evaded her bones. She felt so cold inside and knew the warmness, the fire in her bones wouldn't return until Sirius and Elizabeth did.

Soft grey eyes flashed in front of her own. Grey eyes that had reluctantly parted with her late last night. Tears welled in Hermione's eyes as she remembered Dracos words. Sirius had killed him. Severus Snape. The wizard who had countless times attempted to ruin their lives and the lives of those around them, was dead.

At the hands of her husband.

A man who, behind his bravado of an exterior, would never be capable of murder.

Taking in a shaky breath, Remus' still form appeared before her eyes, his screams of agony echoing through her mind.

No Sirius was not capable of murder.

Murder is what lengths Snape went to, to anger Sirius. You don't accidentally throw a vial of silver in the direction of a Werewolf. Nor do you underestimate the lengths Sirius Black would go to defend a friend.

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Helena stepped slowly up to the edge of the hall and looked down into the darkness that had been dulled slightly by the dust rising from below. Glancing up to her left, wand held tightly and hidden in the folds of her robes Helena began to make her way up the stairs, the occasional piece of debris still falling past.

Hidden in the shadows in the opposite direction Sirius and Harry exchanged a glance. If the others had caused the fall the three of them should be fine against a single Death Eater. It was up to them to get Elizabeth back.

"Ready?" Sirius whispered.

Harry nodded and followed his Godfather as he silently stepped out of the darkness and into the hall.

Green eyes flickering down to the map in his hands Harry saw that Elizabeth should have been in the room four doors down and across the hall. In front of him Sirius moved slowly across to the other side, no longer needing Harry to tell him where his daughter was.

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Fred stopped suddenly as Graham held up his hand. Trying to quieten the sound of his thumping heart Fred picked up the faint sound of a pair of boots coming up the stairs.

Graham pointed to a pile of rubble a few steps down and Fred nodded, following slightly and crouching behind it, waiting for the owner of the footsteps to appear.

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Making her way up towards another faulty part of the godforsaken fortress the last thing Helena expected was a bright blue beam of light shooting towards her. Mind switching to damage control she murmured a quick piece of Latin before the light hit her in the chest and she felt herself fall back, her wand flying from her hands and into the darkness below.

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Sirius reached out and clasped the intricate copper handle of the door that separated him from Elizabeth. Harry pressed his back up against the wall on the other side of the door and nodded to Sirius.

Before the Animagus had the opportunity to turn the handle a deafening alarm sounded throughout the ruins.

"Shit." Sirius cursed, quickly turning the handle to no avail.

Doors quickly opened around them and Harry worked at defending himself and Sirius as the older wizard tried desperately to get the door open.

Stepping back Sirius rammed his shoulder against the door. Adrenaline blocked the pain as he felt the crunch on impact. Praying Elizabeth wouldn't be too close to the door Sirius uttered a _Reducto_ effectively turning the door into a pile of splinters.

"Harry!" he called out as he rushed into the room, sending spells past his Godson and felling an unmasked wizard.

Harry stepped backwards into the room as spells shot past. There were thirteen Death Eaters remaining now, thirteen well aimed shots would mean they'd be able to escape.

This was easier said then done.

Sirius rushed further into the room where a small cot stood and scooped his sleeping daughter up into his arms.

Spells were flying past and Sirius ducked behind the cot to avoid a red beam. He took advantage of his new position and took out two Death Eaters from under the cot.

"STOP." A voice boomed through the room.

Sirius, breathing hard straightened as the onslaught ceased. In his arms Elizabeth had woken and clung to his robes.

In the hall half a dozen Death Eaters were on the floor, the rest had their wands raised in the direction of the Animagus.

"Lower your wand." A bodiless voice ordered.

Sirius' blood ran cold as the chilling reality hit him and he remembered the feeling of Hermione being torn from his arms by invisible hands.

Glancing towards the sound Sirius paled further.

Harry stood as still as a statue, a line of blood trickling from his hairline, his arms hanging at his sides. At his throat was a knife, seemingly floating in the air. The blade pressed just hard enough to draw a thin line of blood from the boy-who-lived.

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	32. Borderline

**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 31: Borderline**

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Sirius felt himself breathing in the scent of Elizabeth as she held onto him, her small arms wrapped securely around his neck. All around him Death Eaters were reviving their fallen comrades but Sirius' eyes stayed trained on Harry.

"Hand her over, Black." The floating voice behind Harry ordered.

Sirius glared defiantly and tightened his hold on his daughter.

"Go and find Helena," The voice ordered. "There may be more of them." Three Death Eaters peeled off from the group and headed in the direction of the stairs.

"Now Black." The voice said, directing his attention back to Sirius. "Hand your precious daughter over."

"Sirius. Don't," Harry implored his Godfather. For his actions Harry was rewarded with the blade pressing harder against his throat.

Sirius weighed his options. Surrounded by nine Death Eaters with the only escape a narrow doorway across the other side of the room, Sirius put the odds of all three of them getting out safely against them.

"Get out Sirius," Harry pleaded, attempting to ignore the blade at his throat.

Sirius was torn. It came down to this; his Godson or his Daughter.

"I will not hesitate Black," The voice said humorously, as if he was having the time of his life. "Hand her over. Now."

"No," Sirius growled out, there was no way he would willingly give up Elizabeth.

"Fair enough, maybe a little persuasion then."

Sirius watched in horror as the knife at Harry's throat shifted suddenly and sunk into his shoulder.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Fred froze as a scream of agony echoed up the stairs. Graham stood from his crouched position next to the female Death Eater and peered down the stairs.

"That was Harry." Fred whispered, his feet already taking him down the stairs, Graham on his tail.

Suddenly a green bolt of light flew past his head causing Fred to suddenly scramble back up the stairs, narrowly avoiding Graham behind him. The pair quickly made their way back in the direction of Bill as spells caused the walls to crumble around them, Graham casting the odd spell back behind down the stairs.

Running past the fallen Death Eater they quickly made their way to Bills position who was sitting up wand at the ready. "What happened?" he asked attempting to stand as Graham crouched down next to the banister and turned to hold back the onslaught of spells.

"We have to get out of here." Graham called back to the Weasley's.

"What about the others?" Fred asked incredulously

Graham ignored the question and muttered a quick reparo on the missing section of staircase. "Go now!" he ordered, "We'll come back for the others," he promised as Fred opened his mouth to protest, "Right now we need to get Bill out of here."

Not wanting to lose another brother Fred helped Bill stand and supported him as they made their way hastily up the stairs. Graham followed and shot spells behind as they twisted their way back up the spiral staircase.

Rounding the corner at the top Graham ducked under Bills other arm and he and Fred increased the pace of their escape.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Harry's face was pale and clammy as a trail of blood dripped down his arm and onto the floor beside him. The burn of the blade entering his flesh and striking his scapula still reverberated through his body. To his horror he saw Sirius' thoughts running through the stormy eyes across the room.

"As much as I enjoy playing pin cushion with your little boy-who-lived, I won't ask again. Hand her over Black."

Sirius tore his gaze away from Harry and for the first time since he had picked her up looked down at Elizabeth. He bit back the sob that crept up as her mouth broke into a dazzling smile as his eyes me hers. Off to the side a Death Eater slowly stepped towards the pair.

"Sirius," Harry choked out, "Don't you dare."

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Hermione made her way quietly down the halls as she headed towards the hospital wing. Her thoughts jumped from Sirius and Elizabeth to Remus, his life hanging by a thread as his fiancée sat by his side.

"Hermione!"

Hermione turned to see Draco coming towards her, parchment in hand.

"Dumbledore found out how they got Elizabeth out of the Ministry."

Hermione took the parchment Draco handed her and looked at it as she kept walking, a skill she'd perfected in her fifth year. On the parchment was a moving picture, similar to a wizarding photograph. It showed a small group of Death Eaters moving through white corridors before they were ambushed by Ministry officials. In the top corner a door appeared to open then close on its own.

Hermione stopped at realization hit her.

"I don't understand," Draco confessed, stopping beside her, "The Ministry's wards would have picked up on invisibility charms or objects."

"They used a potion," Hermione whispered, more to herself than to Dracos query.

Draco frowned, "I've never heard of a…"

Hermione stared walking again. Before the Prophecy had surfaced she had been researching the potion Lucius Malfoy had used that fateful June morning back in 1979. The books and parchment had remained untouched in their chambers for almost a year.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The floor was cold and wet as Sirius cracked open his grey eyes. Nearby the sound of dripping water echoed ominously throughout the darkness. His first conscious thought was the lack of Elizabeth in his arms. This realization sent him upright causing a sharp pain to radiate from the back of his head. Wincing Sirius brought his hand up and gently touched the tender spot at the back of his skull.

"Harry?" He called worriedly into the darkness.

A moan from the opposite corner sent Sirius scurrying across the cold floor.

Harry was on the floor, shivering with numerous wounds around his face and neck. The gash in his right shoulder was still bleeding and Sirius quickly tore off a piece of his robe and applied gentle pressure causing Harry's eyes to open suddenly in pain.

"Its alright, I just need to stop the bleeding." Sirius explained quietly.

"Wh-where are we?" Harry asked

Sirius squinted into the darkness, "It looks like a cell, a dungeon most likely." He paused and looked back down at Harry. "What happened?"

"You hesitated; they hit over the back of the head and took Elizabeth."

Sirius felt his eyes sting as he sat back on the ground. They had been so close.

Feeling Harry shivering beside him Sirius peeled off his outer robes and spread them over his godson. His mind working on finding a way out, with no wands this was going to be a problem.

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Hermione and Draco entered the hospital wing to find Ginny and Madame Pomfrey trying to get Tonks to move away from Remus so the Medi-witch could perform a checkup on the pregnant metamorphmagus.

Hermione walked up to Tonks and lay her hand on her friends arm. "Go, I'll sit with him till you get back."

Tonks glanced at Hermione and opened her mouth to argue.

"Please Tonks, just let Madame Pomfrey check you over, for your baby's sake."

Hermione's words hit home and Tonks nodded, and with one last glance at Remus followed Madame Pomfrey from the room.

Hermione took Tonks' seat and grasped Remus' hand in her own. Behind her Draco and Ginny sat on the couch at the back of the room.

"Hey Remus," Hermione murmured, looking across at the pale wizard in front of her, he hadn't woken since they'd preformed the cleansing charm the day before, in fact his condition seemed to be deteriorating rather than improving. "It's Hermione, don't worry, Tonks is just going to make sure your baby is ok, she'll be back soon."

She paused as her eyes started to burn, "You remember don't you, you're going to be a father. That's why you have to pull through this Remus, you have to marry Tonks, and have a beautiful family to grow old with. Merlin Remus, you're so brave, you have to pull through." Hermione allowed herself a sad smile, "Remember that day you saved me from Malfoy? You took on two Slytherins twice your size, now you just have to fight this…"

Hermione was cut off as the door flew open and Fred rushed in, supporting a pale Bill who was favouring his left leg. Immediately she stood, her eyes going to the door waiting for Sirius to come through with Elizabeth. When Tonks re-entered with Madame Pomfrey and Graham Hermione felt her knees grow weak.

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Sirius looked up as the door to the cell burst open. A tall Death Eater Sirius hadn't seen before sauntered in with Elizabeth in his arms. Sirius relaxed slightly to see that she was unharmed but was distressed at the wails she was emitting. Getting to his feet Sirius found himself flying across the room and into the jagged stone that backed the cell.

Dazed with a fresh trail of bloody dripping from his forehead Sirius blinked to clear the fuzziness. When his eyes refocused there was a female Death Eater crouched beside Harry, knife again in hand.

"We have a problem Black." The tall Death Eater announced, Sirius recognized the voice as the one who'd been invisible earlier. "It seems you have a way of keeping track of your daughter here." He held out Sirius and Harry's copy of the map with its blinking dot showing where Elizabeth was. "Now, all you have to do is stop this."

"What makes you think I'll tell you anything?" Sirius asked groggily.

"Because if you don't, Helena here will make sure your precious godson knows the true meaning of pain."

Sirius glanced at the witch next to Harry who lazily pressed the dagger into Harry's cheek, drawing a small line of blood.

"Me, well I think it's her pretty little bracelet." Sirius' eyes snapped back to Elizabeth, "No one seems to be able to take it off. Maybe we'll just have to forcefully remove it."

"Nelson." The Helena warned, the last thing they needed right now was to harm the child.

"Don't worry Helena; it's not her wand hand, that's all that's important," Nelson drawled pulling another knife from his robes. In his arms Elizabeth had quietened in the presence of her father and was currently struggling in Nelsons arms to reach him.

Sirius glanced from Elizabeth to Harry and back again before coming to a decision. The others knew where they were now; he was just going to have to take the risk that they didn't take Elizabeth elsewhere.

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Fred stared at Remus, his eyes wide and confused, before they moved to Draco.

"What…?"

"Never mind that!" Hermione snapped vacating her seat for Tonks, "What happened, where's Sirius and Harry?"

"We don't know for sure exactly what happened," Graham answered, he had a gash on his cheek and dust from the crumbling walls all through his brown hair, "But I think Harry and Sirius have been captured."

The room grew quiet, the only sound being Madame Pomfrey's small murmuring as she worked on Bill. Hermione stood still for a moment before moving quickly out of the room.

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Sirius watched heartbroken as the two Death Eaters left once again with Elizabeth.

"S-sirius," Harry stuttered, grabbing his godfather's attention.

"What is it mate?" Sirius asked quietly skirting over to Harry on the floor.

"When you g-get the chance, you have to get Elizabeth a-and get out." He whispered.

"I'm not going to leave you here."

"You need to make a ch-choice Sirius, I can look after myself; you need to concentrate on getting Elizabeth out." Harry argued.

"Look, Harry, when your parents died I made a promise that I would look after you, I've never once broken a promise to your father, and I'm not going to start now."

Harry smiled slightly, "You have your own child to look after now, besides, I wouldn't mind meeting my parents again."

Sirius shook his head, "Now you get those thoughts out of your head this instant Harry James Potter. What about Ginny? Did you think about her?"

Harry blinked, "She'll understand. You have to get Elizabeth out."

"You're right, but believe me we won't be leaving alone; there is no way I'm leaving you here by yourself."

Harry attempted to chuckle through his shivering, "You're too stubborn for your own g-good Si-irius."

Sirius watched as Harry drifted off to sleep; sending out a silent prayer of help to Hermione Sirius transformed and curled up next to Harry, gently laying his head on his godsons chest, trying to provide as much warmth as possible to the injured wizard.

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Hermione strode quickly around her room, grabbing her combat boots out of the closet as she pulled on her light fighting robes. Draco appeared at the door and watched her progress.

"I'm coming with you and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

The corners of Draco's mouth lifted slightly as he suppressed a smile, "I wouldn't dream of trying to stop you." he replied as Hermione quickly finished plaiting her long curls before stepping into her boots and tying her laces.

"Good." Hermione picked up her wand and headed for the door, "let's go then."

Outside Fred and Graham waited, "Ginny wanted to come but Madame Pomfrey needs her help with Remus, and well Tonks…" Fred explained.

Hermione nodded, "So just us four then. Do you have the map?"

Fred handed her the map with the blinking dot reassuringly still on the parchment. "Right, we'll take the back entrance," she said making her way out of the door, the three men following close behind.


	33. Damned

**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 32: Damned**

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All Sirius seemed to be aware of was a continuous pounding at the back of his skull with every beat of his heart. Even in his Animagus form he slept restlessly, concern for Harry, Elizabeth and Remus refusing to let his mind rest. He blew a puff of air from his moist nose with a sigh as he lay his head on Harry's chest, feeling reassured with the stead rise and fall from beneath.

He didn't know how long he was awake for before the cell door crashed open causing him to whip his head around painfully and emit a low growl deep from the back of his throat. Rising to all fours he bared his teeth at the two Death Eaters standing in front of him just willing them to try to get closer.

Behind him Harry tried to sit up, groaning and clutching his shoulder as he did so.

The two Death Eaters, one short one tall, looked at each other then back at Sirius.

Looking bored the tall Death Eater flicked his wand shooting a spell off in Sirius' direction. Sirius held his ground, knowing Harry was directly behind him.

The beam of blue light hit him in the side and he went flying through the air. Again.

His head hit the back wall with a crunch and Harry blearily watched as Padfoot slid limply down the stone wall to the floor before Sirius reappeared, unconscious with a fresh trail of blood dripping from his hairline.

Shakily getting to his feet Harry glared defiantly at the two in front of him before slowly making his way over to Sirius but two sets of strong hands gripped his arms before he reached his Godfather. Burning pain sliced through his right shoulder as he was manhandled to his feet and dragged from the cell. Fighting back nausea Harry vainly struggled against his captors as they slammed the cell door shut, leaving Sirius' limp form inside.

"No!" Harry managed to choke out as he dug his feet into the ground his boots leaving tracks in the dusty stone floor. "Sirius!" In his weakened state he felt his magic halfheartedly surge before a fist connected with the side of his face and his world sunk into darkness.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Graham led the way as he cautiously entered the fortress. Hermione followed with Fred behind her and Draco bringing up the rear.

The group silently made their way down the dark corridor before reaching the staircase. As Graham, Fred and Bill had earlier Hermione found herself looking over the edge and down into the darkness below. Next to her Graham made his way towards the stairs and Hermione found herself following.

The first distant rumbling from within the fortress startled Hermione, behind her Fred placed a hand on her shoulder and offered a reassuring smile. She deduced that noises were common place in an ancient decrepit fortress.

A few silent minutes later Graham turned, "Be careful here," he whispered, "This is where Bill got hurt."

Hermione cautiously stepped onto the repaired staircase and continued on into the bowels of the fortress.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Harry's green eyes blinked as the world slowly came back into focus around him. The fuzzy stone work in the large room grew sharper and he could make out the flickering flames of torches bathing the room in an eerie light.

The pain in his shoulder throbbed, the ache hitting his nerves with each heartbeat. Slowly he rose to his feet and looked around the empty room. Only it wasn't as empty as they liked to think he believed, even in his weakened state he could _feel_ them in the room with him.

Swallowing away the dryness of his mouth Harry moistened his lips, tasting the metallic tang of blood on his tongue. "Why don't you show your faces?" he asked his voice gravelly as it rasped through his throat.

Laughter erupted at different points around the room, from the left corner near the door a bolt of light shot towards him causing Harry to quickly duck to avoid the unforgivable. The second was shot from behind and brought the boy-who-lived to his knees. He didn't allow them the satisfaction of a scream and waited the pain out before slowly getting to his feet again, every muscle in his body trembling in protest.

"You're all cowards." He accused harshly

"No," Helena taunted, "We're Slytherins." She finished off proudly.

This comment was met by another round of laughter as a door off to the side opened and a visible Nelson entered with Elizabeth in his arms.

Harry's mind immediately switched to suspicion as the tall Death Eater placed Elizabeth on the floor a few meters away from him before he turned on his heel and left the room, a wicked grin encompassing his features as he exited.

Harry took a cautionary step towards Elizabeth before he was hit by multiple curses, he felt a number of wounds open but the pain wasn't focused as another _crucio_ racked his body bringing him to his knees, the stronger _Sectumsempra_ taking him to the ground as gashes opened on his chest, the blood seeping through his robes. Laughter again echoed through the room as the remainder of Voldemorts followers took sport in torturing the boy-who-lived.

The onslaught ceased and the room became quiet save for Harry's ragged breathing as he rolled onto his back. He cracked his emerald eyes open once again as small soft and somewhat soothing hands landed on his face. Elizabeth's blue eyes looked curiously down at him trying to get his attention.

Groaning Harry brought his arms around to grasp Elizabeth as he sat up, blood running from the corner of his mouth, smeared slightly by Elizabeth's small fingers.

He knew immediately what they were doing as soon as yet another crucio hit him. Pain racked his body again but it was Elizabeth's terrified screams of agony that hit the hardest as she struggled in his arms. He couldn't put her down. No matter how hard he tried. Struggling to his feet Harry tried in vain to block out the pain as he felt his magic course through his veins. Whispering a muted Protego the pain stopped as the shield bubbled around him and Elizabeth, who continued to wail and struggle in his arms.

The room fell quiet again as an unfamiliar male voice filled the room. "Well done Potter, but do you really think you can keep it up for long?"

"You're all insane." Harry groaned, trying to block the pain, "She's just a child."

"It's never too early to start breaking her in, and how better to do that then relating you with pain?"

In the back of the fuzziness Harry noted that no one else was speaking up in caution of Elizabeth associating their voices with the torture. In his arms Elizabeth had quietened but her small body still shook uncontrollably. Crouching Harry gently placed her on the stone floor and stood over her, his legs struggling with his weight as he glared at the invisible circle of Death Eaters.

The next spell broke his shield and sent him flying though the air and sliding along the floor, grit digging into his skin before he came to a stop face down. Rolling slightly his vision this time remained constantly blearily as he met Elisabeth's tear streaked face, her bright blue eyes, filled with confusion staring back.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione felt herself automatically nodding to the warning before becoming lost in her thoughts as her adrenaline began to rise. She recognized the feeling coursing through her veins. She felt it every time she went into battle. Only this time it was ten fold. It wasn't a small rag tag group of students being where they shouldn't, it wasn't an ill-fated rescue mission, nor was it one of the greatest battles the wizarding world had ever seen.

No. This was her battle. Focused entirely on the ones she loved. Sirius and Harry's whereabouts were unknown, Elizabeth's beacon of hope blinked reassuringly on the map in her hands, Remus was fighting for his life at Hogwarts, Tonks battling by his side. The Weasleys were all helping in their own way and Draco. Well Draco was behind her, once again, and she realized then that he had seemingly filled the void, not only in her life but also Harry's, that Ron's death had left behind. She spared a glance back at the blonde walking quietly behind Fred. No, he hadn't replaced Ron, but it made the hurt seem to lessen slightly with his presence.

Moving her chocolate eyes back down to the map in front of her Hermione made sure the small beacon hadn't moved before she again focused her attention on their spiraling decent into the fortress.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The shock of ice cold water rushing over him brought Harry out of unconsciousness once again. Blinking back the now diluted blood dripping into his eyes Harry squinted up at the now visible Death Eaters surrounding him. Through the bleariness of his head he realized he must have lost his glasses when he'd blacked out.

Cruel laughter again erupted around him as he searched the floor. In the back of his mind he knew the image he was projecting was pathetic. Harry Potter, boy-who-lived, bringer of light, destroyer of the Dark Lord was on the ground dripping with water and blood as he searched blindly for his glasses surrounded by the Pettigrew's of the Death Eaters. The ones who would rather hide than fight.

His hand grasped the wire frames and his fingers curled around them before he slipped them into his pocket and shakily stood.

It wouldn't be long before he hit the ground again.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sirius gripped the bars of the cell and closed his eyes, willing his magic to cooperate. He may not have his wand but he still had magic in his blood. Gritting his teeth he tried to unlock the door, pry it open or blast it open. Anything just to get out of the cage he was in and find Harry and Elizabeth.

The sound of footsteps and scraping brought Sirius' attention away from the door and to the dark corridor. His grey eyes narrowed as two Death Eaters rounded the corner, dragging his Godson between them. Standing defiantly at the door Sirius watched as one of the Death Eaters shot a stupefy in his direction, only for it to bounce off the shield he had managed to cast.

Hefting Harry onto his shorter companion the taller one again tried to stun Sirius, and again failed. Sirius allowed himself a small grin which promptly fell when Harry was dumped unceremoniously to the floor and a round of spells shot from the two wands. Knowing his shield wouldn't hold Sirius backed off and dodged them instead, the sudden movement sending his food starved body reeling as his head spun.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione found herself again listening to the rumblings of the fortress, age was catching up on it and she was silently horrified that her fifteen month old daughter was somewhere within the walls.

A rumbling close to home made Hermione, Fred and Graham turn suddenly, wands raised as Draco expertly dodged a large piece of stone wall which had taken it upon itself to squash the blonde wizard. Hermione met his eyes and a rather dusty looking Draco, who coughed as the dust reached his throat, nodded that he was all in one piece.

Allowing Fred to step past her Hermione continued to make her way down, just in front of Draco. Her instincts had kicked in when she witnessed the near miss and she found herself puzzling over them. It wasn't motherly, she knew what that felt like. No this was more of what she felt towards Harry. Hermione again turned to glance at Draco determined to put a word to the feeling. He raised a questioning eyebrow and Hermione turned back around, shrugging slightly. Right now she very much felt like the over protective big sister.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sirius woke and groaned. He'd lost count of how many times he'd lost consciousness in the past couple of weeks and figured Madame Pomfrey was going to have a field day when they returned to Hogwarts. If they returned to Hogwarts.

Slowly getting to his feet he tumbled across to the trembling form propped up against the wall on the other side of the cell. Kneeling down beside Harry, Sirius stared in horror at what was in front of him. Harry's eyes were starting to bruise, his nose was broken and bleeding and there were multiple abrasions from his hairline to jaw. His stormy eyes moving south Sirius took in the three deep gashes on the chest in front of him as well as the re-opened wound in his shoulder.

And this was only what was visible.

Bringing his hands up slowly Sirius lay Harry flat and started to gently remove his soaking outer robe without jostling him too much.

A moan announced the Animagus' failure at non-jostling.

"Harry?" he asked quietly, moving his head above Harry's so Harry could see him when he opened his eyes.

Harry cracked open one eye slightly, the other swollen shut. Opening his mouth to speak Harry coughed and Sirius shook his head, "Don't talk, just let me see what I can do."

Removing the remainder of Harry's outer robe Sirius then removed his boots and sopping wet socks, his fingers brushing against icy cold skin in the process. Moving next to Harry's chest Sirius closed his eyes and blocked out the rest of the world, concentrating again on his magic.

His head felt like it was going to split into two as he tried to heal the wounds on Harry's chest. Gritting his teeth against the pain Sirius tried harder as he dug deeper within himself.

Something moist and sticky gripped his wrist and Sirius opened his eyes and looked down at Harry's hand around his own. Tearing his eyes away from the red, bloodied knuckles Sirius looked up at Harry's face.

"Don't." Harry whispered, "you have to…" he paused, swallowed and tried again, "You have to get Elizabeth out."

Sirius shook his head, "I'm not leaving you here, besides, I can't get the doors open."

Harry didn't appear to hear his Godfathers words and kept repeating himself, "Get Elizabeth…out."

Sirius frowned as Harry tightened his grip on Sirius' hand in panic. "Harry," Sirius started, becoming worried, "What did they do?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione stepped up beside Fred and Graham who'd stopped and looked down at the map. Graham glanced down the corridor which was eaten by darkness some thirty meters in. According to the map Elizabeth was in the same room she'd been in earlier.

Nodding Graham again took the lead, cautiously making his way slowly down the corridor, Fred, Hermione and Draco following.

Pausing every so often to look behind him Draco collided with Hermione as she pulled up to a sudden stop. Reaching out he gently steadied her without taking his eyes off their surroundings.

Hermione glanced at Graham and nodded pointing from herself to him in question. Graham glanced at Fred and signaled for him to stay with Draco.

Standing on either side of the door Graham waited as Hermione reached out beside her and turned the knob letting it slowly swing inwards. The ex-Auror stepped in first, wand at the ready and quickly surveyed the dark room.

His stomach twisted as realization swept over him.

The room was empty.

Behind him Hermione moved in, lighting the room with her wand. Graham watched as her brown eyes circled the room once, then twice.

Disbelief filled her eyes and her fighting stance dissipated as she processed what was in front of her. Her gaze flickered down to the parchment in her hands, "We must have the wrong room," she murmured staring at the blinking dot.

Graham gently took the map from Hermione's grip and studied it before stepping outside to double check.

It was the right room.

Draco looked from Graham, whose hasty exit confused him, into the room and back at Graham, his silver eyes questioning.

Graham looked up and noticed the gaze before running his hand along the top of his head in frustration. "She isn't there."

Draco swept into the room to find Hermione moving over to a pile of rubble in the corner. Suddenly afraid of what she might discover he moved and quickly intercepted her, "I'll look." He murmured before crouching down and moving away some of the larger rocks.

Hermione numbly watched as the blonde wizard dug through the pieces of wall. Her heartbeat increasing as he straightened, looking down at an object in his hand, his elegant features pulled into a frown.

Swallowing Hermione followed the direction of his gaze. In his palm lay the small silver bracelet he'd given Elizabeth for her birthday. The same silver bracelet that only Sirius or Hermione could remove.

Draco glanced up at Hermione's face as she gently lifted the bracelet from his hand, deathly pale her eyes moved to his in confusion. "I don't understand," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes, "how…? Sirius wouldn't…what if she's…?"

Draco's gaze softened as he stepped towards the witch in front of him.

"NO!" Hermione snapped stepping back, startling the blonde as her voice bounced off the walls, "You said! You said she'd be here, why isn't she here?!" tears where falling freely down her face now as Draco again stepped towards her. "Why?" she sobbed "Tell me why!"

Draco caught her as her knees gave out and Fred and Graham watched helplessly from the doorway, the forgotten map still in Graham's hand, the beacon of hope still dismally blinking on the parchment.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o


	34. Woman in Love

**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 33: Woman in Love**

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The bars stretched out before his grey eyes, taunting Sirius as they caged him from the outside world once again. Maybe if he stared at them long enough they would vanish from in front of him and he could get Harry and Elizabeth out. He was so immersed in his staring that he didn't notice Harry come up and stand next to him.

"Any reason why you were carrying around a spare pair of charmed socks?" Harry asked, his voice rasping weakly past his throat.

Turning Sirius reached out and grabbed Harry's elbow to help steady the wavering wizard.

"You shouldn't be up," Sirius said concerned, eyeing Harry's face which had taken on a purple hue in the last few hours.

"I'm fine." Harry protested weakly as Sirius turned him around, wincing slightly at the movement.

"'Fine' my ass, if I wasn't trying to get us out I'd conjure you a mirror."

"You were staring at the bars Sirius, what are you expecting? For them to vanish before your eyes?"

Harry laughed at the look on his godfathers face before his face paled with the effort and he felt his legs turn to jelly.

"Merlin Harry." Sirius exclaimed as he gently lowered Harry back to the ground. "What did they do to you?"

Harry shook his head as he leant back against the stone wall, "Pain, and lots of it. No need to be specific."

Sirius' face betrayed the fact that he was thinking about all the possible situations Harry could have been in while he had been stuck in the cell. Even worse was Harry's newfound conviction to get Elizabeth out. "Tell me how Elizabeth was involved. Please."

Harry shook his head again, "I can't do that to you Sirius."

"At least tell me if she's ok." Sirius pleaded, "Just tell me that much."

"I don't know." Harry answered honestly.

Sirius' grey eyes closed in frustration as he took a deep breath to try to stay level headed. Standing he spun around and approached the bars, gripping them before he closed his eyes and focused again on his magic.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione's eyes flew open as the sound of soft crying reached her ears. Standing swiftly her eyes roamed her surroundings. She wasn't in the small room where they had found the bracelet, nor were Draco, Fred or Graham anywhere in sight. Instead she stood in the middle of a large ornately decorated ballroom that was slowly collecting dust.

Another cry from near the main doors spurred Hermione into action and she pushed the confusion aside as her feet carried her towards the familiar cry.

Before she reached the other end however the doors swung open and Death Eaters filed into the room. Skidding to a halt, Hermione gripped her wand and looked around for a place to take cover. All that greeted her were the long straight walls of the unfamiliar room. Cautiously she stepped over to the wall on her left and slowly moved forward. So far not one of the Death Eaters had noticed her presence.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Draco stared at Hermione sitting in front of him, she had suddenly gone rigid in his arms and he'd pulled back to find her staring blankly ahead, her eyes having taken on an eerie milky colour.

Across the room Fred and Graham were arguing about what their next move should be.

"Um, guys." Draco called, not having the first clue as to what was happening.

The two older wizards were too engrossed in their argument to hear the call.

Tearing his eyes away from the sight in front of him Draco glared at the pair, "HEY! Would you both stop arguing and get over here!"

Fred and Graham looked at each other before walking over. Draco pointed at Hermione and stepped back.

"Bloody Hell." Fred exclaimed peering closer to Hermione's face for a better look, "What happened?"

Draco frowned, "I don't know." He looked over at Graham who was standing beside him looking down at Hermione. "Any ideas?"

Graham shook his head, "It's like she's in a trance, but I've never seen anything like this."

Draco's frown deepened, "I don't like it," he said as he reached down to shake Hermione.

"No. Wait." Graham cried out, grabbing Draco's wrist, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"So what do you propose?" Draco asked, stepping back again as Fred waved a hand in front of Hermione's face.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione looked down at herself and ruled out invisibility as she silently moved closer to the circle of wizards, straining to catch their discussion. She was ten meters away when the words reached her ears.

"…falling down around us."

"Where do you propose we go then, Helena?"

"Somewhere that isn't here. Look, Black and Potter found us, and they weren't alone, how long do you think its going to be before others come?"

"So we move then." A deeper voice reasoned, "And Black and Potter?"

"We take Potter, he'll be too weak soon to resist the torture-"

Hermione blinked at the revelation before she felt a surge of anger flow through her veins, holding back she kept listening.

"-Black, well, we can either leave him here to rot, or take him with us to rot, either way he'll never see his precious daughter again."

Confident she wouldn't be seen but still cautious Hermione stepped up into the circle, Elizabeth's soft cries again reaching her ears. Taking a deep breath she slowly reached out to the closest wizard only for her hand to pass right through his arm.

Curiously she peered at her hand before repeating the movement. Knowing there must be some explanation, logical or not, Hermione took another deep breath and stepped into the center of the circle. When the Death Eaters continued their discussion, Hermione quickly made her way to the cot in the middle.

A wave of unfounded joy rushed through Hermione as her eyes landed on her daughter for the first time since she'd been taken from her arms. The newfound happiness however quickly dissipated as she took in Elizabeth's pale features and the dark circles under her small blue eyes. Hands initially flying to her mouth in shock Hermione stared down into the cot as tears welled in her eyes.

"Oh God," She whispered as she tried to reach out to Elizabeth, her hands feeling nothing but air.

Biting back a sob she let her hands hover over her daughters small form as her tears now streamed freely down her face.

"Shh Sweetheart, Mummy's here," Hermione murmured, "I'm coming to get you. Mummy's coming."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Fred curiously peered into Hermione's vacant expression as Draco and Graham argued about what to do. He was almost nose to nose with the older witch when her eyes suddenly closed before flying back open.

"Bloody Hell!" Fred exclaimed again as he fell backwards onto the floor his heart slowly making its way from his throat back to his chest.

Hermione had also fallen backwards as she fought back the rising bile and tired to control her trembling.

"Hermione?" Draco asked, stepping warily towards her.

"I need the map." Hermione said, holding out a shaking hand to Graham and ignoring Draco's enquiry.

Obliging, Graham handed her the parchment and Hermione spread it out on the floor in front of her, her chocolate eyes scanning quickly.

The others watched and waited in silence.

"She's here," Hermione said, getting to her feet, her finger pointing at the long ballroom deeper into the mountain.

The others looked at each other, all unsure but none willing to voice their apprehension to the witch in front of them.

After a few moments Graham spoke up, "Maybe we should go back to Hogwarts and re-group."

Draco and Fred flinched as Hermione's gaze landed on Graham.

Closing her eyes Hermione took a few deep breaths before explaining, "I saw them, the Death Eaters; they have Elizabeth and are planning on moving her, as well as Sirius and Harry. We need to get them out now."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Ginny stepped quietly into the private room in the Hospital Wing. Remus lay still, his skin remained clammy and pale and the charm used to regulate his breathing was still active.

She had just overheard Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey discussing the full moon which would be occurring within the next week. Thus feeling completely helpless with the entire situation decided she'd change Remus' bandages.

Tonks sat beside her fiancé, only ever leaving his side for the daily checkups Madame Pomfrey insisted on.

Standing on the opposite side of the bed to Tonks, Ginny silently began the gruesome task of removing the werewolf's dressings. The burnt flesh stubbornly refused to heal and the wound showed no improvement as the bloodied bandages came free. The whole of Remus' lower leg was currently hindering any hopes of a full recovery.

Disposing of the stained bandages she gently began to wind a fresh one up the length of Remus' leg. She'd been taught early on in her training how to do this using magic but she felt more of a connection with her patients if she did it the muggle way.

"It's the fully moon next week," Tonks said softly, not taking her eyes off Remus' face.

Ginny looked up from her work, she didn't realize Tonks knew she was even in the room. She opened her mouth to respond but was unsure what to say to the other witch.

"They'll have to move him," Tonks continued. "Probably to the shack," She paused and took a deep ragged breath as Ginny finished her task. "I wish Sirius was here, he needs the company, and he can't be left alone. That's if he even…if he even survives the transformation."

Ginny moved to the other side of the bed and crouched next to Tonks. Gently placing her hand on Tonks' arm Ginny tried her best to reassure the metamorphmagus. "Remus is strong Tonks, he has a lot to live for. He will fight this."

Tonks looked down at the red headed witch and sent her a small smile of gratitude. Even if Ginny new the odds were against Remus she felt determined to install as much hope into Tonks as she possibly could.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione clutched the map in her hand as she steadily made her way down the corridor, lit wand held aloft in front of her to light the way. Draco, Fred and Graham all followed behind not knowing exactly where Hermione was leading them or what had happened earlier, only trusting that she knew what she was doing.

Hermione slowed as the floor beneath her feet began to shake.

"The whole place is going to fall down around us." Fred murmured as a low rumbling sounded off to the right.

"All the more reason to keep moving," suggested Graham from behind, spurring the group forward again.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A low buzzing sound roused Harry from his restless sleep. Cracking his good eye open he blinked a couple of times before focusing on Sirius at the bars of the cell. From the sounds of it he was making progress on getting out.

Harry watched for a moment, he could see the sag in Sirius shoulders and the slight bend in his knees, but his grip was firm and determination kept the Animagus upright. Knowing the door wasn't going to be opened anytime soon by Sirius without some help Harry slowly got to his feet and shakily made his way over to his Godfather.

Reaching out he gripped the bars next to Sirius, ignoring the pain flexing had on his raw knuckles. Closing his good eye he pictured what Elizabeth had been through and felt his anger grow.

With a sharp electric-like crack the door to the cell came loose and clattered to the floor.

Breathing heavily Sirius opened his eyes and glanced at Harry beside him who sent him a crooked grin.

"Thought you could use some help," he said before his eyes rolled back and his legs gave way.

Moving quickly Sirius caught Harry before he hit the ground. Supporting his Godsons weight Sirius slowly made his was down the corridor, conscious of every sound his steps made as they echoed lightly off the stone walls. Reaching the stairs that led out of the dungeons he hefted Harry into a more manageable position before ascending the first step.

He didn't make it up the second before the two Death Eaters from earlier came around the corner.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione glanced once again at the map in her hands. Her heart picking up speed as they neared the hall. Skirting a large pile of stones Hermione looked up into the darkness that was once the ceiling above a staircase spiraling deeper into the mountain. Brown eyes flickering back to the three men behind her Hermione took one last glance down the stairs before continuing.

She had taken only a few steps before she slowed.

"Hermione?" Draco asked from behind.

Frowning Hermione turned back around and again found herself staring into the darkness below.

"Let's go this way," she suggested as she began to clamber over the rubble to reach the first step.

"But Elizabeth is that way." Fred reasoned as they watched her progress.

Hermione didn't reply till she was safely over the pile.

"Yes, but Sirius is this way."

The three men watched Hermione for a moment as she began to descend the staircase, when the light of her wand began to dim as she rounded a corner they each began to work their way over the stones.

"Hermione," Fred called as he was the first to step onto the staircase. "Slow down." Not waiting for the other two he quickly followed the witch and her dimming light.

The stairs continued to spiral downwards with the air and walls becoming increasingly moist as they neared the bowels of the fortress.

Hermione could hear the others behind her as she rounded the last corner. The sight at the bottom of the stairs made Hermione skid to a stop, her heart leaping to her throat.

At the base lay body face down, long dark hair matted and dirty, the ends floating in a small pool of water.

Fred came to a stop beside an extremely pale Hermione. "Merlin" he breathed as he followed her gaze.

Fred's voice beside her spurred Hermione into action as she rushed down the remaining stairs and crouched beside Sirius, rolling him over so his head rested in her lap.

"Sirius." Hermione breathed, as tears filled her eyes at the sight of her husbands' bruise covered face, her heart rate slowing slightly as she felt him breathing.

Fred, Draco and Graham watched as Hermione, sitting in a puddle holding Sirius close picked up her discarded wand and whisper a quiet enervate.

Hermione didn't take her eyes off Sirius' face as his grey eyes cracked open.

"Hey stranger" Hermione whispered as his eyes met hers, shocked as they began to fill with tears. "It's alright, you're going to be ok." She murmured as she pulled him closer, his tired arms wrapping tightly around her as he buried his face in her curls and breathed in her scent.

"Hermione." Sirius breathed "Merlin, I never thought I'd see you again."

Hermione chuckled, "You can't get rid of me that easily." She said as Sirius pulled back to look at her.

"Bugger." He joked, causing Hermione's grin to grow. Sirius matched her smile and leaned in for a kiss, savouring the sweet taste of his wife's lips.

Pulling back Hermione looked over Sirius. "Can you walk?"

Sirius nodded, "They only knocked me out, I'll be ok."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she helped Sirius to his feet, "Yeah, only."

Once Sirius was on his feet his gaze traveled past the other three men to the staircase. "You came from up there?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "Why?"

"That's where they took Harry."

Hermione glanced down at the now wet map in her hands. "That's where Elizabeth is too."

Sirius glanced down and met Hermione's eyes, "Let's go then."


	35. Blood on Blood

**Disclaimer: I do not have rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

**A/N: Really sorry for the hiatus, life caught up with me unfortunately. But I always planned on finishing this story and I have finally found the time and inspiration to do so. Feel free to re-read a few chapters to catch up. I had to read the whole thing again….**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 34:**** Blood on Blood**

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The distant rumblings of a dying fortress reached the small group as they clambered back over the rubble at the top of the dungeon stairs. As Draco stepped down onto flat ground, he turned to help Sirius behind him. Accepting the help, the Animagus nodded to the blond before moving next to Hermione who was studying the map.

"How do you know where to go?" he asked, glancing down at the maze of ink before looking away and pausing for a moment. For the first time since he'd met Hermione, he was unsure of what to say to his wife. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke up. "I took her bracelet off," he murmured so only Hermione could hear.

Hermione forced eye contact with Sirius and he caught the slight hint of betrayal in their chocolate depths. "It doesn't matter now," Hermione said, looking back down at the paper and breaking eye contact. "I know where she is." She stepped forward and continued down the corridor. "Come on," she said quietly to the men behind her. "We need to keep moving."

Sirius pushed down the feeling of desperately wanting to explain to Hermione what had happened, and with a slight limp stepped after her. She would understand later, no one would be able to make the choice he did without consequence. In the mean time, he had some Death Eaters to find and half his family to save.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

High above the rescue team, at the height of the mountain fortress, the ancient structure gave up on its long lived fight with the insistent mountain attempting to reclaim its territory. As the pressure of the weight above steadily increased, a small crack appeared in the top most point of the stronghold. A tiny fragment of the ceiling broke free and dropped to the floor below, the tiny clink of it landing echoing ominously off the walls. Like a disease the small crack travelled along the weakest points of the dying fortress, ready to hungrily consume all within.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione glanced up from the map as the floor shifted beneath her feet. Pausing, she glanced at the others behind her. All were looking up.

"We need to get moving," Hermione repeated, increasing the pace slightly. The map in her hands showed that they were approaching the great hall she had seen in her vision. Logic told her that the Death Eaters, if the rumbling fortress was anything to go by, would have left by now. Her heart told her that Harry and Elizabeth were close.

Rounding a corner, the group was presented with a small hall ending in ceiling high doors surrounded by gaping holes in the ceiling and piles of rubble, built up against the walls. Crouching down behind one of the small piles of debris, Hermione glanced from the map in her hands to the intricately carved doors in front of her. The others moved in around her.

Nodding towards the doors, Hermione spoke quietly, "They're in there."

Graham studied the doors. "How do you suggest we go about doing this?"

Fred followed his gaze. "How about we go in wands blazing?"

"Fred's right," Hermione said with a grim expression, despite the accurate muggle cliché. "We don't have time for anything else. Sirius, Fred and Graham, you're going to get Harry. Draco and I will get Elizabeth. Any questions?" she asked.

The others all shook their heads. Glancing back over at Sirius she looked him over worriedly. Noticing the look in his wife's eyes Sirius shook his head with a small smile. "Not even you can stop me going in there."

Hermione didn't argue but pointed out what everyone else had noticed. "You don't have your wand," she said quietly.

Sirius grinned. "I plan on getting it back."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Harry felt himself propped up against a wall. His entire body ached. Every bruise could be felt in the marrow of every bone. He could no longer hear Elizabeth's cries and was torn as to whether this was a good thing or not. Through the fuzziness that was his present world, he tried in vain not to think too much of Sirius. He wasn't sure if his Godfather was alive or not. The last time he'd seen him, he was lying in a pool of water at the base of the dungeon stairs. At the moment all he could hope for was that Hermione, stubborn as she was, was close.

He had recently discerned from nearby conversations that they were leaving this ruin of a fortress. Apparently the place was falling to pieces around them. Harry didn't know, he couldn't tell the difference between the mountain shaking and his own trembling limbs.

Suddenly the hall fell silent. Cracking his good eye open, he saw the room come back to life. Down at the end Death Eaters were scrambling, bolts of light hindering the lasting survival of the fortress. Though Harry had a sneaking suspicious this was not the reason for their onslaught.

Harry tired to adjust his position to figure out what the commotion was about. But for some reason, the air around him was as thick as molasses and his limbs would not cooperate. His head seemed to have a ten tonne weight on top of it and his hands were apparently bound to the floor with invisible ropes.

Harry was not having a good day.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sirius morphed into Padfoot as soon as Hermione and Fred had blasted the large wooden doors off their hinges. Slipping in he finally saw why Hermione was so worried about him entering unarmed. There was no cover. The ceilings were high and the walls long. Unlike much of the rest of the fortress this room appeared to stand the test of time.

As soon as the group entered the hall, spells started flying around them. Despite his injuries, Sirius expertly dodged the colourful lights and stuck close to Graham and Fred, moving left as they entered the room. Hermione's scent no longer with him told Sirius she and Draco had opted to go right.

As the walls began to suffer the force of the Death Eaters defence, rubble and dust began to thicken the air.

"_Accio Sirius' wand._"

Sirius wasn't sure which wizard he was with had summoned his wand but he transformed back and deftly caught his wand as it came flying through the air.

A little more at ease now, Sirius began to pick up shapes at the far end of the hall. Aiming and running at the same time he shot spell after spell at the silhouetted figures moving in the dust.

Advancing swiftly along the wall, explosions rocketing around him, Sirius picked up on a human shape slumped against the same wall some thirty meters away. Ducking a bolt of yellow light which turned the wall behind him into a gaping hole, Sirius moved forward, aware of his two companions following closely behind. Shooting both defensive and offensive spells in quick succession, Sirius began to make good progress towards his Godson.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione and Draco were moving slowly up the length of the room, dodging and firing spells off at the surprised Death Eaters. Narrowly avoiding a bright blue stream of light, Hermione caught Draco being hit out of the corner of her eye. Crouching down beside the blond whilst keeping her eyes trained out front, she gently shook him.

"Draco?" she asked.

"I'm ok," he replied, as she felt him get to his feet.

"Watch out!" Hermione called, pushing herself and Draco backwards as the wall beside them exploded.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Blinking dust out of his eyes Sirius moved forward as bits of wall and ceiling came apart around him. Moving quickly he approached Harry on the floor, Fred right behind him.

"Harry," Sirius said, trying to wake his Godson.

"Sirius?" Harry replied, coughing slightly. "What's going on?"

"We're getting you out, this might hurt a little," Sirius warned as he and Fred lifted Harry to his feet. Graham stood in front of the group, holding off the attacking Death Eaters.

Harry gritted his teeth as a new wave of pain surged through him. Struggling with Harry's weight between them Fred, bleeding heavily from his left arm, and Sirius half carried and half dragged the boy-who-lived towards the exit. Behind them Graham offered cover fire as his duel with Nelson intensified.

The long haired ex-Auror could already feel blood dripping into his left eye from a nasty gash he'd received when the wall beside him had shattered and covered him in a fine layer of dust. All his fingers in his left hand felt broken and he could already feel a bruise forming on his shoulder. Despite his injuries adrenaline surged through the Auror's veins as he battled the few remaining Death Eaters to blacken the wizarding world.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Coughing and blinking the small particles of dust from her eyes, Hermione rolled from her side onto her back. Pain in her left arm made her frown in frustration. Her shoulder had dislocated once again. Lifting her head slightly she saw that the wall that had erupted in a shower of rock now provided the pair some cover.

"Hermione?" Draco asked, coughing in an attempt to clear his lungs.

Hermione felt Draco next to her before she saw him looking down at her in concern.

"I'm alright," she answered, wincing slightly. "My shoulder's dislocated, I need you push it back into place for me."

Draco's eyes widened.

Hermione didn't have time to sit around arguing about it and pulled herself up so she was leaning against the wall. She explained through short breaths how to angle her arm in the right position and push the joint back into place

Draco nodded, a little unsure but followed Hermione's instructions nonetheless, and a few seconds later swift movement from Draco caused Hermione to scream as her shoulder moved back into place.

Draco waited as spells of light shot past their protected position. Slowly, Hermione opened her eyes and met his, a silent question in the grey depths.

"I'm alright," she said as she caught her breath, rolling her shoulder slightly before moving into a crouching position, once again ready to run headlong into the fight.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

As Sirius and Fred neared the doors, Sirius stumbled slightly as he heard Hermione's scream bounce off the walls. Grunting under the extra weight as Sirius instinctively spun around, Fred repositioned Harry so that he could handle the younger man by himself.

"I've got him Sirius. I'll get him out, go and help the others."

Sirius felt torn but nodded nonetheless turning and simultaneously ducking as a blot of red light shot past his head.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione didn't know when she became separated from Draco. They'd been beside each other for a while, moving closer to the Death Eaters and Elizabeth when she no longer felt him near. Loose hair from her braid whipped around her face as she simultaneously looked for the blond and kept her attention on the dark haired witch in front of her.

Ducking a particularly nasty slashing hex, Hermione focused on the tall witch, shooting off a volley of her own spells which were expertly dodged. Feeling the fatigue of battle, Hermione ignored the stinging of sweat and blood as it dripped into her eyes and threw a tripping hex in the direction of the figure, fuzzy in the dusty air.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sirius lost his balance as the floor moved beneath his feet, in front of him. Graham, Draco and Hermione were fighting off separate Death Eater attacks and each struggled to remain upright as the floor moved. Chunks of ceiling began to fall around them crashing to the floor and choking the air thick with dust. Coughing, Sirius saw Draco expertly take down the wizard standing in front of Elizabeth's cot. At the same moment, Hermione was hit by a curse and flung backwards and along the floor. A cackle of a laugh rang through the hall in triumph as Sirius sped towards Hermione. The laughter died as rock and debris separated Sirius from the gleeful sound. From behind a separate pile of rocks, Sirius watched as a slight wizard bounded out cat like and pounced on Hermione as she struggled to get to her feet. Picking up his pace Sirius tried to aim at the wizard fighting with his wife. At the end of the room the ceiling began to fall. Watching the progress of the collapse, Sirius turned on his heel towards Elizabeth, slipping on the fragments beneath his boots.

"Get Hermione!" Draco shouted to the dark haired wizard as he made his way toward Elizabeth, dodging falling pieces of rock and shooting spells at any that threatened to fall on Elizabeth. The sounds of battle began to mute as the deafening rumbling around them grew.

To his left, Graham flew backwards as a hex hit him in the chest. Sirius sent a volley of spells at Nelson while still moving towards Hermione. Not prepared for the onslaught from the other direction, Nelson was thrown against the wall, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth and nose as he felt his spine snap, legs now useless to the long haired Death Eater.

Running full speed Sirius tackled the cackling wizard off Hermione as she fought against his clawing hands, and threw a well aimed punch to the side of his head. Pulling back for a second hit Sirius lost his balance as the room jolted once again.

Standing up Sirius moved towards Hermione. Sliding to a stop beside her on the ground, Sirius noted the hue his wife's skin had taken and tried to rouse her while getting them both upright.

"Hermione! Love, wake up." Sirius pulled her up beside him as Graham, bleeding and bruised, reached the pair and moved to Hermione's other side.

"Sirius?" Hermione managed as her head lolled against his shoulder.

"Alright love?" Sirius asked as she met his eyes.

Nodding warily Hermione blinked a couple of times before her attention fixed on Draco.

"Elizabeth," she murmured, chocolate eyes wide in horror

Sirius watched in dismay as Draco picked up Elizabeth in his arms when the ceiling above them began to collapse. With Hermione supported by Graham, Sirius began to swiftly move towards the blond and his daughter.

Looking up, Draco ran, sheltering Elizabeth in his arms as he tried to outrun the falling rocks lapping at his heels. As debris began to fall around him Draco grunted as a rock hit his shoulder. Propelled to the left he regained his footing and continued before whispering one final spell as his world turned black.


	36. Dyin' aint much of a Livin'

**Disclaimer: I don't have rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 35: Dyin' aint much of a Livin'**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Sirius turned to Graham as dust kicked up into the air, his matted hair flying in his face as he spun. "GET HER OUT OF HERE!" he shouted to the Auror before climbing over the rubble to where he'd last seen Draco.

Hermione looked confused for a moment before her eyes widened in realisation. "No!" she stated firmly, trying to get out of Graham's grip. "Let me go!"

"We have to get out of here," Graham reasoned, trying to pull Hermione in the direction of the door.

A deep rumbling could be heard from above and Graham's Auror instincts kicked in. He pulled Hermione's wand from her hand as he wound his arms around her waist, physically lifting her from the floor as it shook beneath their feet.

"NO! SIRIUS!" Hermione screamed as she fought against Graham. Her head was pounding and her entire body ached, but she was not leaving without her family.

Sirius tried to ignore Hermione's cries as he began moving rocks with his bare hands, magic forgotten as he desperately tried to reach his daughter.

"LET GO OF ME!"

Hermione's cries began to be drowned by the noise above as his hands began to bleed, fingernails and palms scraping on the rough material in front of him. As determined a woman as she was, Hermione was injured and was no use against a trained Auror.

"SIRIUS!"

Sirius noted the pairs struggled exit as he felt a piece of rubble move against his leg. Moving down slightly, he quickened his pace.

"Draco?" he called.

"Get this lot off me," the young wizard responded from below.

Clutching his wand, Sirius muttered a levitation charm and moved the pile of rubble off Draco. The wizard was curled in a ball, his body encompassing the small one year old in his arms. Moving quickly Sirius bent down to help Draco up.

"She's okay," the blond said, answering the question forming on Sirius' lips.

Sirius took a sobbing Elizabeth from Draco's arms as the floor shifted violently beneath them once more.

"Lets get moving," Sirius suggested, already making his way down the pile of rubble. Pausing, he turned and eyed the dusty wizard behind him. A line of blood was moving down the side of his face from his hairline and he swayed slightly on the spot.

"My leg's broken," Draco stated, wincing as he moved slightly.

"Ok," Sirius reasoned before moving to Draco and handing Elizabeth back. He stepped forward to support the wizard who'd saved his daughters life. "We're going to have to move fast."

Draco nodded as Sirius helped him to flat ground. Sirius picked up the pace and Draco leant more weight on the older wizard as the pain in his leg grew.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Graham's grip tightened on the struggling Hermione as the fortress shook around them. Cracks began to appear along the floors and walls as he retraced his steps as best he could towards the staircase that led the way out.

"PUT ME DOWN!"

The rumbling around them would have drowned Hermione's pleas had she not been so close to his ear. Nails dug into his arms and booted heels hit his shins as Hermione tried to move desperately in the direction they had just come.

A sudden shake of the floor beneath his feet loosened his grip on the witch as he tried to maintain balance for them both. Turning towards him, Hermione ignored the crashing around them and looking pleadingly at him. "Let me go," she murmured, her voice only just reaching his ears. "They're my life. I can't leave them."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Fred had long since hoisted Harry over his shoulders and opted to carry him rather than drag him along the dusty corridors. Unsure as to what Harry had been subjected to, the Weasley twin was apprehensive about performing any magic on the boy-who-lived.

Side stepping falling pieces of ceiling, feet moving quickly to maintain a level of balance as the floors shook beneath him, Fred rounded a corner and sighted the staircase in front of him. Running unsteadily down the corridor, avoiding gaping holes in the floor and piles of debris, Fred made it to the banister. Glancing up he saw large pieces of ceiling give way and fall hundreds of feet to the floor below.

Shifting Harry slightly, Fred started to quickly make his way down the stairs, relying on blind luck not to be hit as deafening crashes sounded around him. After a few flights down, his luck ran out and a large slab landed meters away, sending Fred flying through the air with the resulting shockwave.

Landing heavily against a wall and feeling a sharp pain through his wand arm, Fred groaned as the dust settled around them. Cracking open his eyes, bright light surrounded him. Blinking, Fred realised he was leaning against a door frame and the light was coming from outside as the afternoon sun crept towards the horizon.

Shaking himself into action, Fred spotted Harry lying still a few meters away. Crawling over to his friend, Fred rolled him over and noted Harry's chest moving as he coughed dust from his lungs.

"It's ok Harry," Fred assured as he hoisted the young wizard back into his arms. "I've found the way out."

Moving quickly outside onto the grass of the surrounding mountain slope, Fred stepped down a number of rocky terraces till he felt comfortable with the distance between them and the fortress. Gently laying Harry against a bank, Fred tried to wake him.

"Harry?" he asked, gently laying a hand on his shoulder.

One of Harry's green eyes cracked open in response

"I'm going back to help the others. Will you be okay here?"

Harry closed his eyes and nodded.

"Right then," Fred said, standing and turning back to look up at the doorway they had recently exited. Dust was billowing out like smoke and crashes could be heard echoing down the valley. "See you soon," he said to Harry, and with a grim look of determination set back up the slope towards the mountain.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Glancing back down the corridor as the fortress shook around them, Graham spotted Sirius round the far corner, struggling with Draco.

Hermione, following his gaze, broke free of the Aurors slacked hold, grabbed her wand and took off in the direction of her husband.

"Hermione wait!" she heard Graham call out behind her.

Sirius' gaze shot up as he heard Grahams voice. Hermione was running towards them, round piles of rock, her arms up over her head to protect herself as the ceiling began to cave. The wall to the right of them started to disintegrate under the impounding weight from above.

"GO BACK!" Sirius shouted over the roar surrounding them. But his wife was stubborn and reached them moments later, taking Elizabeth from Draco's arms.

"RUN" Sirius shouted over the noise as Graham caught them and moved to the other side of Draco, ducking his head under the blond's arm and taking the rest of his weight. Hermione spun, cradling her daughter in her arms, and began to move quickly down the long hall.

"YOU KEEP RUNNING AND DO NOT LOOK BACK!" Sirius ordered his wife, his words muffled even to his own ears. The only response he received that Hermione had heard them was her chocolate eyes turning to face him, holding his eyes momentarily before turning again and moving ahead of the wizards behind her.

Rounding the corner of the staircase, Fred spotted the group making their way down the hall. As Hermione reached him, he placed a hand on her back and urged her forward, leading the way down the stairs.

"WHERE'S HARRY?" Hermione shouted to the redhead

"OUTSIDE," he yelled back "COME ON, THIS IS THE WAY OUT."

Hermione resisted the urge to turn for Sirius as Fred led her to the tall doorway supporting the entrance. Rocks crashed around them and choking dust filled the air. Pulling Elizabeth closer to her chest, Hermione tried her best to protect her daughter from flying debris.

Behind them, Graham, Sirius, and Draco reached the landing and began to make their way down the stairs. Sirius felt magic fall around him and glanced at Graham.

"THE WARDS," he shouted through the dust.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione gulped in fresh air as Fred urge her forward, away from the falling fortress, away from Sirius. Moving to the left and throwing Fred off balance, Hermione spun and watched in horror as the carved doorway collapsed and rubble piled out onto the mountainside, dust billowing like smoke into the blood red evening sky.

Hermione heard a guttural scream and realised it was her own voice producing the sound. She moved back towards the entrance, but Fred held her back.

"You cant!" Fred said, voice raised over Hermione's screams as she struggled against him.

"NOOOOOO! He's still alive! Let me GO!"

"Think of Elizabeth!" Fred reasoned, drawing Hermione's attention to the girl in her arms

Hermione's screams turned to a low moan as her legs turned to jelly and folded beneath her. Fred lowered her and Elizabeth gently to the ground as he heard two soft pops behind him. Her face held no colour as she held her daughter close to her chest. Hermione clutched at Fred's robes, her hands desperately seeking support as her mouth formed silent pleas, her voice catching as she stared numbly at the collapsed entrance.

He barely registered footsteps passing behind him before Sirius knelt down on the other side of Hermione.

"Hermione, love" Sirius murmured, taking his wife and daughter into his arms as Fred let go and stood. "It's alright, we're okay"

Hermione looked up, skin pale and eyes red with tear tracks through the layer of dust on her cheeks as she met Sirius' grey, reassuring eyes. Sobbing, Hermione wrapped an arm around Sirius' neck and pulled him close, breathing in his musky scent as she held on tight. Sirius wrapped his arms around his family and rocked Hermione to calm her down, gently laying a bloodied hand on his daughter's head between them.

Fred took a deep shaking breath, shocked at the tears streaming down his own face. Turning, he saw Graham lower Draco down beside Harry. Immediately the pair began to quietly banter with each other.

"You look like hell," Draco muttered as Graham conjured a splint for his leg

The corner of Harry's mouth lifted in an attempt to smile as he glanced to the wizard at his right. "If I had my wand, I'd conjure you a mirror."

Draco glanced down at his own wand, snapped in two and hanging by a fibre. Passing it to Harry who'd closed his eyes, Draco put it in his friends hand. "You can have mine," he muttered before leaning back against the bank and closing his eyes.

"Elizabeth?" Harry asked quietly.

"I got her," Draco murmured. "She's okay."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Graham smiled at the two before turning to Fred, "Can you sort out a portkey to get these two back to the hospital wing?" When Fred nodded, Graham turned to the still form of Snape he'd noticed down slope next to a watchtower. "I'm going to go sort out Professor Snape, my team can deal with it well enough."

Fred nodded again and bearing the pain in his wand arm, set to work on a portkey.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Tonks felt her eyes lose focus as she fought sleep. She'd barely rested since Remus was brought in and was at a loose end as to what to do for her fiancé. Bill was resting comfortable in the bed next to the Lycan, broken leg elevated and healing throughout the night.

A shrill, sudden noise around her made Tonk's violet eyes fly open as the Auror stood in panic. Madame Pomfry and Ginny ran into the room and straight to Remus as he began to convulse on the bed.

"His vitals are failing!" Madame Pomfry announced, moving quickly with her wand to try and assist the wizard on the bed, Ginny beside her wand out and working with the medi-witch.

Tonks stepped back feeling helpless. Her eyes quickly filled with tears and her hands covered her mouth. She felt her knees hit the bed behind her as her legs gave way, unable to tear her eyes from Remus as he shook in front of her.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A while later, when the stars were out and the crescent moon offered a slither of light, Sirius led an exhausted Hermione and a sleeping Elizabeth down to the others. Graham was making his way back up the slope and met them as Fred finished with the portkey.

"It's enough to get Harry and Draco, plus another to the hospital wing," Fred said, looking down at the branch in his hands.

"Alright," Sirius said quietly, "you take Draco and Harry, we'll apparate to the edge of the grounds."

Hermione lifted her head from Sirius shoulder and looked him up and down. His robes were torn, the left side of his face was bruised, and cuts and scrapes littered his skin. His knuckles were raw and blood dripped from his hands.

Sirius caught her look and shook his head. "We need at least one able-bodied person with them. I'll be fine." He glanced at Fred who nodded. "Alright then," Sirius murmured, "let's go home"

Gently moving Hermione to stand close to Fred, Sirius stepped over to Harry. Crouching between him and Draco, he gently shook his Godson, "Harry mate, we have a portkey. It's going to be jarring, but it will take you straight to the hospital wing."

Harry's good eye cracked open and he nodded.

Sirius turned and repeated his actions to the blond resting next to Harry. "Draco?" he asked, placing an hand on the young wizards arm and shaking gently.


	37. Lie to Me

**Disclaimer: I don't have rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 36: Lie to me**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

"Draco?" Sirius repeated, using slight more force as he shook the young wizard.

When Hermione didn't hear a response, she lifted her head off Fred's shoulder and looked down at her friend. His face was covered in a fine layer of dust, save for a small trail of blood making its way down from his hairline.

"_Ennervate_," Sirius murmured as Fred reached across and took Elizabeth from Hermione's arms.

When the blond didn't respond to Sirius' spell, Hermione moved forward, kneeling down on the soft grass on his other side.

Shaking the wizard as she called out to him. "Draco, wake up."

His soft grey eyes remained closed.

Hearing the concerned voices float down the small terrace, Graham quickly made his way back up the slope to find Sirius and Hermione desperately trying to wake Draco.

Moving over to where Hermione knelt, Graham crouched down beside her. "Let me," he said softly.

Hermione switched places with the Auror and grasped Draco's hand, watching as Sirius and Graham tried to revive him, moving him from off the bank to lie flat on the ground.

Her chocolate eyes followed Sirius' hand, his knuckles red and raw. He moved it down the smooth, pale skin of Draco's arm, leaving a trail of blood and dust as he gently took hold of his wrist.

She heard Sirius sigh, but refused to look up.

"Hermione," Sirius said gently.

Hermione shook her head, not looking up at her husband. Beside her, she felt Graham shift and step back.

"Hermione," Sirius repeated as he moved and knelt next to her.

"No," she whispered, fighting the tears that threatened, denying the truth. She couldn't grieve if it wasn't true.

"He's gone, love." Sirius murmured gently

"No," she whispered again, clutching at the still warm hand she held in her own, "I don't understand. You got him out, you were okay." She glanced up at Sirius, meeting his grey eyes. "He saved her." Hermione murmured as a single tear fell down her cheek.

Sirius nodded, "I know he did, but Draco wouldn't do things any differently if he had the choice. You know that."

Hermione nodded numbly, before moving forward and pulling Draco into her lap and holding him close. She rocked the young wizard in her arms as if comforting him, not herself.

Sirius sighed and stood, turning to face the others. Graham's face was void of any emotion. He'd been around death long enough to know it happened to anyone at any time. Fred was holding a sleeping Elizabeth, staring at the scene in shock, tears running down his freckled face.

"The portkey?" Sirius asked quietly

Fred looked up at the older wizard, "Um, it--it should be ready to go soon."

Sirius nodded. "Take Harry and Elizabeth back to the Hospital Wing," he said quietly to Fred.

Fred glanced down at the sleeping child in his arms as Sirius reached out and gently stroked her black hair. "But--"

Sirius looked up and met Fred's eyes. "Just hold her tight," he said quietly. "We'll apparate back to the grounds and meet you there." He glanced at the two men in front of him and both nodded.

"Ok," Sirius said, glancing down at Hermione. She'd had her eyes closed with her cheek resting on top of Draco's head. "We'll see you soon."

Fred nodded and crouched next to Harry, gently grasping the injured wizard's hand and placing it on the Portkey. Moments later, Sirius watched as Fred disappeared with his daughter and godson.

Faint pops down the slope brought Sirius' attention to three Aurors apparating in. Graham caught the Animagi's gaze and nodded. "They're okay, we'll sort out a cover story. Nothing will get traced back."

"He tried to kill Remus," Sirius said quietly

Graham shook his head as he began to make his way down the slope, "I don't know what happened here Sirius. Maybe its best it stays that way."

Sirius frowned at the Auror, then nodded. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Graham made to move down to his team. "Uh, what about Malfoy?" he asked, pausing in his descent.

Sirius glanced behind him at the pair on the ground. "We'll take him back to Hogwarts."

"Give me a few minutes. I'll come back and help."

Sirius nodded and turned back to Hermione.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

When Fred landed in the Hospital Wing, he landed in what he could only describe as chaos. The private room the group often had a use for was bustling with activity, a loud shrill noise piercing his ears. Bill was trying to hold Remus down on the bed as he balanced on one leg. A sobbing Tonks stood opposite tying to help his brother, tears streaming down her heart shaped face. Ginny and Madame Pomfry had their wands out, trying desperately to stop the Werewolf from seizing. At the door, four curious faces, most likely students occupying the adjacent hospital wing, watched on with wide eyes.

Feeling his grip on Harry slacken, Fred quickly made his way over to the bed Bill had been resting in and laid Harry down. The young wizard was unconscious but breathing and Fred stepped back. Transfiguring a chair into a cot, he gently placed Elizabeth down who was now awake and crying. Concentrating, Fred swiftly cast a silencing charm around the small cot. He could still hear her crying, but the sharp noise of the room no longer reached the child's ears.

Running to the door the four wizards eyes grew wide as the red head approached.

"MOVE!" he shouted, dashing past them as they quickly dispersed.

Rushing to an open window Fred cast a patronus, sending it to find Sirius. He watched as the fox rounded the corner of the darkened castle before making his way back into the seperate wing.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Hermione," Sirius said, crouching down beside her, "let's go home."

Hermione glanced up, a silent question in her eyes as she glanced down at the Aurors. Graham was now making his way back up the hill, his eyes tired as ran a hand down his face.

"We'll take him back with us, okay?"

Hermione nodded and gently lay Draco down on the grass, a slight breeze picking up strands of his blonde hair that had come loose from their bindings.

Graham reached the couple and crouched down beside Draco, lifting the wizard into his arms. "I'll take him," he offered quietly and Sirius nodded. Hermione didn't take her eyes off the pair until they departed with a soft pop.

"Ready?" Sirius asked quietly. He felt Hermione nod and appareted them both back to Hogwarts, leaving the valley cloaked in darkness.

Landing on the cool grass, Sirius felt his head spin and Hermione's hands clutch at him as he swayed on his feet.

"Sirius?" she asked, concerned. "You shouldn't have done that."

Sirius sent Hermione a crooked grin, her face blurry in front of him "Bit late now."

Before Hermione could respond, Sirius noticed a fuzzy bright light round the corner of the castle as Graham entered the main doors with Draco. "What's that?" he asked as Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist to help steady him.

Following his gaze Hermione saw the red fox, leaving a trail of silver float towards them. "That's Fred's patronus," she answered as it neared.

"The Hospital wing," Sirius stated, frowning and stepping forward out of Hermione's grasp. Trying to ignore the faint feeling in his bones, Sirius began to run, Hermione close on his heels.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sirius burst loudly into the hospital wing after racing past Graham in the corridors, to four shocked, wide eyed faces staring back. A sight to behold, the Animagus had torn robes and was wet, muddy, and covered in blood.

Regaining his bearings after a moment, he felt Hermione slip her hand in his and lead him to the private wing to the right. Making a less dramatic entrance than Sirius did moments before, the pair entered the room to silence. Bill and Fred sat wearily in chairs, breathing heavily. Tonks sat on the chair closest to Remus, her black hair flowing down her back and around her face as she rested it on the bed beside her fiancé, her hand clasping his tightly. Madame Pomfry and Ginny were red faced and sweating as they fought to regain their breath.

Striding swiftly over to Remus, Sirius glanced down at his deathly pale friend before speaking up. "What happened?" he asked the group as he checked Remus' burnt and bleeding leg.

"He's stable now," Madame Pomfry answered.

"Now?!" Sirius snapped, turning to face the medi-witch in shock. Hermione had moved over to the small cot she had spotted and gently lifted Elizabeth into her arms.

Sirius pointed at Ginny, "You, see to Harry, then Hermione." Turning to Madame Pomfry, Sirius beckoned her to follow, "We need to talk"

Sirius led the medi-witch into the adjourning wing as Graham made his way quietly inside with Draco. Madame Pomfry's eyes widened as she noted the wizard in front of her failing to draw breath. Throwing a questioning glance at Sirius, she watched as he transfigured another of her chairs at the end of the room into a bed and curtains. Graham nodded as he stepped through the doorway and passed Ginny, working on Harry, and Hermione and Elizabeth before stepping behind the curtains.

Sirius turned to the medi-witch and caught her glance. "Not now, Poppy," he murmured.

She nodded and began to explain what had happened to Remus and the extent of the injury to his leg.

"I can't think of what else to do," she explained. "The spells aren't working, I've notified a colleague at St Mungo's who's offered his service and will be here in the morning, but to be honest, I don't know if he'll last another attack."

"Let alone the full moon," Sirius continued, sighing and moving to stand in the doorway to the other room. His gaze rested on Remus as he leant wearily back against the doorframe.

Madame Pomfry moved a chair over to the wizard and made him sit down as she started to work on his injuries, despite his initial protests.

"I don't know how you were even still standing," she said quietly to him a short time later, as he sat in thought.

"We need to amputate," Sirius stated, ignoring her previous statement as his gaze never failed to waver from the werewolf.

"What?" Madame Pomfry replied, stunned at the sudden suggestion. It was a rare occurrence in the wizarding world to remove limbs. She only knew of one case, and Alastor Moody wasn't the most average of wizards.

Sirius glanced up at the witch healing his injuries. "We need to stop the spread of the silver, removing his leg is our best option." Sirius paused as she thought his suggestion over. "It's the only option. Poppy, you know I'm right."

"Uh," she replied flustered, "I'll be back, I need to check something." she replied, blinking and turning on her heel.

Sirius nodded as she made her way down to her office to find the reference she sought. Looking back into the room, Sirius saw Ginny finish on Harry. He was out of his wet robes and now in a hospital gown. His godson was covered in bandages as the young healer shakily covered him in a soft sheet.

Sighing wearily, she turned to Hermione only to find the witch curled on the small couch asleep with Elizabeth in her arms. Sirius stood and made his way over to his wife as Ginny stepped towards the curtains that Graham had taken Draco behind. He watched as Graham stood from his seat and intercept the young witch, shaking his head and bending slightly to whisper in her ear.

Sirius sat beside Hermione as he watched Ginny emphatically shake her head before moving quickly behind the curtain.

Sirius glanced down at Hermione who was breathing steadily. Elizabeth slept, snuggled against her mother's chest, one hand holding onto Hermione's dusty robes, the other resting near her small head. Looking around the room, Bill had fallen asleep where he sat, his leg now propped on a stool in front of him. Fred was trying to mimic his older brother but uncomfortably shifted in his seat.

Sirius reluctantly stood and stepped behind the curtain Ginny had entered previously. She was sitting on the chair next to the blond, wand out after trying to revive him. Sirius stepped over to the small redhead and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No one could have done anything," he murmured.

Ginny nodded, "I know, I checked him over." she paused and looked up at Sirius. "What hit him on the head?" she asked quietly.

"A mountain," Sirius answered honestly, without the customary humour in his voice.

Ginny's hazel eyes widened and he offered her a comforting smile. "He saved Elizabeth," he explained as he stood and took her hand. "Come on, your brother needs a look at."

Ginny nodded and followed Sirius out of the partition and walked over to Fred, kneeling beside him and asking where he was hurt. Sirius watched as she expertly healed the fracture in his wand arm before wrapping a bandage around his head.

Still bandage free, despite his injuries, Sirius sat back down beside Hermione and closed his eyes for a moments rest.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Voices brought Sirius out of his slumber and he woke to the sun streaming through the tall windows. Hermione had shifted in her sleep and her head now rested in Sirius' lap. Reaching down Sirius brushed his hand over her cheek. His fingers were still stained red and left light smudges on Hermione's face.

Looking over to the sound of the voices, Sirius saw Madame Pomfry and an unfamiliar wizard standing next to Remus and talking quietly to Tonks.

Harry was still asleep, Ginny resting on the chair next to his bed as she listened to the conversation across the room.

Hermione shifted and Sirius glanced down to find her looking over at Remus' bed.

"They're going to remove his leg, aren't they?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," Sirius answered, taking Elizabeth from her arms as his daughter opened her blue eyes. "Hello my darling, did you sleep well?"

Recent memories were forgotten as Elizabeth's blinked tiredly before her mouth formed a wide grin, giggling as her dad smiled back. Hermione sat up and moved to Harry's bed to check on her friend.

"He's still asleep," Ginny said quietly as Hermione approached and glanced down at Harry. "Does he know about--" Her gaze flickering to the partitioned area.

Hermione shook her head, "I don't think so"

"Oh," Ginny paused, "Do you want me to tell him?"

Hermione shook her head again, "No, I'll do it. When he wakes up."

Ginny nodded, glad to be relieved of the burden.

Hermione glanced at the group surrounding Remus, "Will you help them?" she asked.

"If they need it."

Hermione made her way around to Ginny's side of the bed. "Ginny?"

"Hmm?"

Hermione crouched down next to her chair. "Do you mind giving me a quick check up? I just want to know if the baby is okay."

"Oh Hermione, I forgot, you were asleep, and then Draco…"

Hermione smiled at Ginny, "It's okay, I feel fine. Just for peace of mind, please."

Ginny nodded and led Hermione out of the room.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione returned to the room with a small smile on her face and turned towards Sirius. Her smile faltered as she gazed at her husband. He held Elizabeth close to his chest as tears made their way silently down his face. Elizabeth's head was resting on his shoulder as her small fingers grasped a strand of Sirius damp hair as he tried to hold back his sobs. Hermione slowly stepped towards them and Sirius met her eyes. Kneeling down in front Sirius, Hermione cocked her head and sent him a shaky smile. He returned it and let out a deep shuddering breath, loosening his hold on Elizabeth as he gazed down at her small face.

Hermione rested her hand on her daughter's back. "Daddy made you all dirty."

"She was already dirty," Sirius answered, sniffing slightly before clearing his throat and standing up, handing Elizabeth to Hermione as she rose beside him. "Maybe Mummy will give you a bath. I need to check on Uncle Moony."

Sirius looked up from Elizabeth to Hermione who shook her head. "We'll wait."

Sirius smiled and nodded as he made his way over to Remus' bed, wiping his face as Madame Pomfry ushered Tonks out and conjured partitions to surround the werewolf.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A few hours later, Hermione looked up from a sleeping Elizabeth as Harry stirred on his bed. Fred had taken a trip to the kitchens earlier and brought them back some breakfast. Satisfied, Elizabeth had promptly fallen asleep. Bill and Fred were quietly discussing the events to their parents who had arrived in the morning. Tonks was sitting next to them, staring at the curtains blocking her view of the procedure inside.

Checking to make sure that Elizabeth was comfortable, Hermione made her way to Harry's bed as he opened one of his eyes, the other now covered in a bandage.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked, taking his hand.

"Better." Harry replied, wincing slightly as he propped himself up and glanced at the partitioned beds on either side of him. "What's going on?"

"They're removing Remus' leg to stop the spread of the silver," Hermione explained.

Harry's eye widened as he looked back at the curtains. A moment later he moved his gaze to the right where Graham slept on a chair in front of the second partitioned area.

Hermione saw where he was looking and sighed. "Harry," she murmured, drawing his attention back to her. She paused slightly before continuing. "Draco didn't make it," she said softly, feeling her own eyes prick with tears.

"What?" Harry asked, confused, "But he was sitting next to me, talking to me. He was fine."

Hermione shook her head. "He fell asleep and didn't wake up."

Harry's mouth opened and closed as he tried to find the words to match the chaos in his head. "But--"

"I'm sorry Harry," Hermione murmured as she reached up and brushed a tear from his cheek.

"Why?" Harry asked, eyes pleading with Hermione to answer the impossible question on his lips. "I always get people taken from me."

Hermione sighed, "Not everyone," she whispered, "You have Ginny, Sirius and I, and the Weasley's. You're not alone Harry."

Harry nodded, his face angry, "I know, but I'd rather keep everyone. Is that so selfish of me?"

"No Harry, that's not selfish at all."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hours later, Hermione was watching Tonks feed Elizabeth, the other witch grateful for the distraction as Sirius, Ginny, Madame Pomfry and the other medi-wizard attempted to save her fiancé.

Movement out of the corner of her eye brought her gaze around as Sirius stepped out from behind the curtain. Smiling at her, he made his way over to Tonks. His hands were clean, he'd removed his dirty robes and had rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows.

"Tonks?" he asked quietly, crouching down next to the couch she was on. "We ah, we had to remove Remus' leg from just below his knee. It went smoothly and the others are working on cleansing the rest of his blood."

Tonks nodded, fresh tears in her eyes, "Will he be okay?"

Sirius nodded, "It might take him a while to wake up but he'll be okay. You can go and see him."

Tonks smiled and passed Elizabeth to Hermione as she hugged Sirius, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Tonks stood and moved to the partition and slipped inside. Sirius stood and turned to Hermione with a smile. "How about that bath?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

When the Hospital wing had quietened and people left to their respective rooms for a much needed wash and rest, Harry's eyes rested on Draco's broken wand that had been left on his bedside table. Sighing at Draco's sense of humour, Harry gingerly got out of his bed, swaying slightly as he stood. Blood pounded in his ears and he paused momentarily before shuffling across the floor.

Pushing back the curtains to where Hermione had said Draco was, Harry stepped forward. His friend was lying still on the bed, his dark fighting robes around him a stark contrast to the white sheets beneath him. Harry noticed the splint Graham had conjured and allowed himself a bitter smile. They thought Draco's broken leg was the worst of his injuries. How wrong they were. Harry brought his gaze up to Draco's pale face. Someone, most likely Hermione, Harry surmised, had brought a bowl of water in and cleaned his face. The only evidence of his head injury was the deep gash slightly above his hairline.

Harry felt Ginny beside him as she slipped her hand into his. Hermione was right. He wasn't alone in the world, but it didn't make the situation hurt any less.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: I'm not entirely happy with this chatper. It isn't as good as I wanted it to be, but it is essentially what it was supposed to be. If that makes any sense.


	38. Midnight in Chelsea

Disclaimer: I do not have rights to Harry Potter or Bon Jovi

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter 37: Midnight in Chelsea**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

A light spring rain fell on the small gathering at Hogsmead cemetery as they slowly made their way out of the gate and back into the small town or up the hill toward Hogwarts.

Sirius stepped back from the slow moving line with Elizabeth wrapped warmly in his arms as he turned and looked back up the hill towards Hermione. She stood, the wind stirring her robes as she said her goodbyes to Draco, head down turned as she looked at the freshly turned ground at her feet.

Harry, still bandaged and healing, limped past with Ginny, and Sirius sent his Godson a sympathetic smile. Returning a shaky one, Harry nodded he was okay before letting Ginny lead him through the small gate at the edge of the cemetery.

Sighing Sirius returned his stormy gaze to Hermione as he shifted Elizabeth into a more comfortable position in his arms. It had been a couple of days since they had returned to Hogwarts and the funeral for the young Malfoy heir was a small event. Some fellow Slytherins had attended to pay their respects, along with a handful of wizards Draco and Harry were in training with.

Sirius glanced back up at the castle. Two people had not joined the funeral this afternoon, as Tonks refused to leave Remus' side as the werewolf recovered. He had yet to regain consciousness, but Sirius noted the improvements daily.

Feeling Hermione step up beside him Sirius looked down at his wife, her curls that escaped her long plait floating in the wind around her face.

"Okay?" he asked quietly

Hermione shook her head, "No." she said before offering Sirius a small smile, "But I will be."

Sirius smiled back and sent a final look back to where Draco lay, a yellow rose now lay atop his headstone.

"Are you ready?" he asked, bringing his gaze back to his wife.

Hermione nodded and hooked her arm through his as they began walking slowly back up to the castle.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sirius sat quietly next to Remus' bed as he watched his friend breathe quietly. He'd sent a reluctant Tonks off to sleep a while before and now found himself deep in thought.

_Sirius and James exchanged a concerned look as Remus quietly made his way into the Great Hall for dinner. Their friend had a slight limp and a deep scratch on his face as he slipped in next to Peter opposite the pair. _

"_Hello Remus." James greeted the small third year, frown lines on his brow_

"_James," Remus returned, not meeting the other boys eyes_

"_Where've you been?" Sirius asked, "and what happened to you?"_

_Remus blushed slightly, "I had to go home to visit an Aunt." _

_Sirius and James exchanged another glance, not believing Remus' story one bit. _

"_You don't have to lie to us Remus," James said quietly, "We're your friends."_

_Remus' amber eyes shot up in anger, shocking the two in front of him, "What makes you think I'm lying?" he asked, before standing up and walking back out of the room._

_Sirius watched as their friend exited before turning back to James and Peter. _

"_Every month he has an excuse for disappearing." James said gruffly, not at all happy with his small friend, "He's like a woman, every month he's cranky or sad, or just plain moody."_

_Beside the boys, Lily Evans chocked on her roast beef at the overheard remark. _

"_Alright Evans?" James asked, eyebrow raised. _

_Lily glared,__ nodding and reaching for her water before Potter got it into his head to rescue her. _

_Turning back to Sirius, James opened his mouth to continue but paused when he saw Sirius' expression. His friend looked like he'd just worked out something life changing. The messy haired boy prayed he too hadn't fallen for Lily. _

"_Sirius?_

_James glanced at Peter who shrugged. _

"_James," Sirius breathed, "You're a genius."_

"_I am?" James asked shocked, before grinning cockily, "Of course I am." He paused, thinking, then frowning, "Why am I a genius?"_

"_Come on," Sirius instructed, standing. _

_James and Peter followed suit and trailed after Sirius as he led the way out of the Great Hall. _

_  
"Where are we going?" Peter asked_

"_To the library." Sirius answered_

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-_

"_I KNEW it!" Sirius exclaimed as he found what he was looking for in a heavy__ black book with yellowed pages. _

_James and Peter glanced at the page. It was filled with writing save for an image moving at the top corner. The two boys watched in fascination as an ordinary man turned into a wolf. _

"_You still seriously don't think…" James started. _

_Sirius ignored his friend, "It all makes sense, the monthly disappearing act, the scars, the new scratches." Sirius, bright eyed with discovery stood and started pacing. "And his eyes, have you seen his eyes?" _

_James and Peter exchanged a look, they'd never really paid close attention to Remus' eyes. _

"_They're amber." Sirius explained, "How many people do you know with amber eyes?"_

"_How many people do you know with grey eyes?" James countered_

_Sirius ignored his question, "We have to talk to Remus, there has to be something we can do to help him."_

_He could tell James was coming around but Peter still looked apprehensive. _

"_Peter - -"_

"_Sirius Black!" _

_Sirius winced as Madame Pince rounded on him._

"_This is a library, keep your voice down or leave."_

_Sirius turned to James and Peter who were holding in their laughter. "Come on, let's go"_

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

"_Why are you doing this?" Remus asked, cornered in the dorm by his three friends. _

"_To help you." Sirius explained, "you don't have to lie to us anymore Remus."_

_Remus sighed and sat down on the window seat and glanced up at his three friends._

"_Have you told anyone?"_

_Sirius looked confused, "Why would we do that?" _

"_Because I'm a Monster."_

_James shook his head, "You're anything but a Monster, Remus."_

"_You have no idea, you haven't seen me under a full moon." Remus caught the excited look in Sirius' eyes, "NO! Don't you dare even think about it."_

"_Where do you go Remus?" Sirius asked_

"_I'm not telling you."_

"_Come on, pleeease."_

"_If I tell you you'll come up with someway to see me."_

_None of his friends said anything. _

"_You can't guys," he said softly. "You can't help me."_

"_Sure we can Moony," Sirius stated, ignoring Remus' horrified expression at his newly appointed nickname. "We're the Marauders, we can do anything."_

_  
_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Sirius?"

Sirius was drawn from his memory by Remus' soft voice.

"Remus!" Sirius said, standing and leaning over the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Are we dead?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because we're Marauders, we can do anything."

Remus sent Sirius a sad look that made his small grin falter, "I've lost my leg, haven't I?"

Sirius sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry Moony; there was nothing else we could do, nothing else _I_ could do."

Remus closed his eyes with a small smile on his lips, "You saved me."

"Again," Sirius pointed out cheekily, "Don't you forget that."

"Are we keeping count?" Remus asked, cracking open one amber eye.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Only since school."

Remus smiled and closed his eyes again, "Did everyone----?"

Sirius shook his head before answering, "Everyone but Draco."

Remus sighed, "How's Hermione and Harry doing?"

"Okay, they're getting over the shock, but they'll be fine." Sirius paused before smiling, "Draco gave his house and half his fortune to Elizabeth."

Remus chuckled, "No surprises there."

"The rest went to family, he gave some to Hermione and I, Harry and Ginny and you and Tonks."

Remus' eyes flew open in shock. "What?"

"She is his cousin Remus, and it isn't charity," he said gruffly pointing at his friend, "So you have to accept it."

Remus closed his eyes and ignored Sirius, "Where is Tonks?"

"I sent her to get some sleep. Would you like me to get her?"

Remus nodded and Sirius squeezed his hand before leaving, "I'll be right back."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Later, Sirius quietly re-entered his and Hermione's quarters. Hermione was on the couch reading as Elizabeth stood at her feet, holding on to her mother's leg, babbling nonsensically up at the witch. Turning to the sound at the door Elizabeth's face lit up as she saw Sirius enter.

Sirius sent Hermione a smile as she stood and crouched when Elizabeth made her way towards him on unsteady feet.

"Aren't you cleaver?" he asked as she neared. Giggling she reached him and he lifted her into her arms as he stood. Walking over to Hermione, Sirius placed a hand on her waist and lent in for a soft kiss.

"Daddy kiss?" Elizabeth asked, to which Sirius was only too happy to comply. Someone had been teaching his baby girl new words.

"How's Remus doing?" Hermione asked as she pulled back

Sirius grinned, "He woke up. Tonks fawning over him as we speak."

Hermione smiled back, "Good. I'll go and see him later."

Sitting back down Hermione marked her page and sat back into the couch. "Dumbledore came by this afternoon."

Sirius' interest perked. The aging headmaster had gone to the ministry earlier on in the day to discuss the week's events.

"And?" Sirius asked as he sat beside her with Elizabeth.

Hermione smiled, "Tompkinson has been forced to stand down. They're having elections for a new minster next month."

"And in the mean time?" Sirius asked.

"A selection of the Wizengamot, will make any decisions in the coming month. They've already announced they plan to look at the development of werewolf rights that Tompkinson started."

Sirius' grin grew, "At least he did one good thing." Looking at his daughter, who was trying to dance on his lap as he held her up. Sirius brought her close and placed another small kiss on her head.

"You're getting big Munchkin," He glanced at Hermione before leaning in closer to Elizabeth, "Your mummy's going to get big soon too."

"Hey!" Hermione swatted Sirius as he laughed

"You're gorgeous pregnant, Love." Sirius said with a charming grin.

"You just say that to make me feel better."

Sirius stood and placed Elizabeth on the floor, happy to play with her toys, before he rejoined Hermione on the couch.

"You don't realise it do you?" Sirius asked as he sat and leaned in close, placing a hand on her waist as the other played with her curls.

"Realise what?" Hermione asked quietly

"You're the most beautiful woman in the world," Sirius complimented, placing a soft kiss on her neck. "When you're with Elizabeth," he continued, moving up to her jaw line, "When you're laughing," Hermione smiled as he placed a kiss on her nose. "And most of all," he pulled back and met her chocolate eyes, "you're absolutely gorgeous when you're pregnant with our children." He grinned and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss as Hermione wound her arms around his neck, toying with the ends of his hair.

Neither noticed the door opening.

"Oi!" they heard Harry exclaim, "There's children in the room!"


	39. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't have rights to Harry Potter

A/N: This ending was planned before Deathly Hallow was released. I apologise if there are any similarities.

For my avid readers, I apologise for the extremely long wait. I promise never to do it again. I won't be uploading any stories until they're complete. That being said, I'm steadily working on a new story and when it's done I'll begin posting for your reading pleasure.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Epilogue

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Daddy, Daddy," five year old Elizabeth cried, running through the large mansion doors, her white shoes sounding off the marble floors as she ran straight into the arms of Sirius.

"Hello Munchkin," Sirius said, smiling at his daughter, "Did you bring everything?"

Elizabeth held up her toy wolf and nodded.

Sirius chuckled, "Good girl." He praised as Hermione came into the entrance of Malfoy Manor with three year old Alexander in her arms. Like his older sister, Alexander had sparkling blue eyes though had yet to learn the mischievousness that was often in Elizabeths. His hair however, though straight like Elizabeth's was a deep chocolate brown.

Sirius beamed, "Welcome home."

Hermione returned Sirius' smile. After four years living and teaching at Hogwarts they had both decided that Elizabeth and Alexander needed space away from the school. Passing on their teaching duties to an eager Tonks and Graham, the pair had packed their belongings and began to shift into the centuries old Manor.

Draco had spent a year after graduating Hogwarts restoring his family home. Gone was much of the unnecessary space, the blond having settled on a home with two living wings, a library and a formal entertaining area. The long corridors that Sirius and Hermione had remembered following when they rescued her from the Time Trap were gone along with the trap land had been cleared of dark magic, and evidence of the old manor had begun to be reclaimed by the woods over the last four years.

Hermione turned as Harry and Ginny walked in. Harry was carrying numerous boxes as Ginny watched him amusedly. The redhead was a few weeks pregnant with the couples first child and Harry had insisted she not lift a finger while they shifted into the second wing of the mansion.

"You sure this place is safe to live in?" Harry asked Sirius and Hermione as he placed the boxes against the wall.

Hermione nodded, refraining to remind Harry he was a wizard, "I don't think Draco left much of the original mansion standing, and Sirius and I have checked and re-checked. He did a good job."

Harry grinned, "Brilliant"

"Daddy?"

Sirius looked at Elizabeth in his arms, "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Is Uncle Remus coming to live with us too?"

"No, he and your Auntie are staying at Hogwarts with Amaris. Don't worry Munchkin," he added as Elizabeth frowned. "They'll visit all the time. Would you like that?"

Elizabeth nodded and hugged her wolf close to her chest.

"Bloody hell!"

The group turned to Fred as he walked in, staring at the large front doors before taking in the entrance hall, boxes and furniture ready for a new home piled against the walls.

"This place is huge! The burrow would fit in this room alone three times!"

"Language Fred," Hermione admonished, as she moved to the left towards the wing her and Sirius were living in. "You should have seen the size of it before Draco began work," she added as the others followed.

Scooting up to his baby sister Fred bent down to her stomach as the walked along. "Hello little one, how's my favourite God-baby?"

Ginny shoved her brother playfully aside. "We may have asked you to be Godfather, but please don't start teaching him mischief before he's born."

Fred's eyes brightened, "So you're having a boy then?"

Harry chuckled and shook his head, "We don't know yet. It could be a girl." He argued, staring pointedly at his wife.

Sirius and Hermione exchanged an amused glance.

"It could always be twins." Sirius said, chuckling as Harry's face paled.

"Twins?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_Twelve years later_

Sitting alone in the train carriage, seventeen year old Elizabeth Black smiled and waited. She'd spent the extra few minutes thinking before she was bombarded with the younger members of her extended family on their way home for Christmas. Her father wasn't going to be happy. That she was sure of.

Her blue eyes sparkled as she pictured his face. He'd be standing at the station, a bunch of wild flowers in his hands he always had for her when she came home, waiting patiently for her to step off the train. She was always taller than when he'd last seen her a few months earlier. And even though she'd stopped growing and was at a comfortable height between her parents, he always made the same comment.

She loved her father but this Christmas she was brining home a surprise. One she'd discussed with her mother, but refrained from mentioning in her letters home to Sirius.

Elizabeth enjoyed the silence for a few minutes before her face lit up as said surprise entered the compartment, moments before the excited shouts of her younger brother and their cousins followed.

"Lizzie" fifth year Alexander exclaimed, as he spotted his sister, slipping into the seat beside her as the tall wizard that had sparked her eyes sat opposite with a smile on his face.

Her brother was the only one of two people she knew of that called her Lizzie. The other was her Uncle Draco. Her parents had sat her down before she left for her first year at Hogwarts and explained what had happened when she was one. Shortly after her mother had given her Draco's wand. Repaired meticulously by Ollivander. Previously she had been extremely excited about getting her own wand but was found speechless at the gift, a fact her father still teased the talkative witch about.

Her first year at Hogwarts was hard for the young witch. Not only did she miss her parents terribly, she was uncomfortable with the attention she received because of her name. That, coupled with reoccurring nightmares of memories long since lost, had caused the witch to turn to her father. Sirius had come to Hogwarts and spent a few weeks with Remus and Tonks while keeping a close eye on his daughter. He was there when she woke at night, using her uncles invisibility cloak to sneak down the long cold corridors, and he there to help her with her school work, though from those first few weeks Sirius could tell that studies were not going to be a problem for his daughter. In just a number of weeks the eleven year old was back to her playful self and Sirius let her settle into what would be her home for the next seven years.

Though she didn't like to admit it now, as the independent witch she'd become, she was eternally grateful for those few weeks.

"Does Dad know?" Alexander asked. Elizabeth glanced at her brother, though he was a couple of years younger, he was steadily catching up to her height and they were often mistaken for twins.

Elizabeth shook her head, eyes dancing as she grinned back, "Nope."

Alexander looked across at the dark haired wizard across from the pair that was happily talking to his closest friend, Amaris Lupin about a new book that was due out for Christmas. Her parents were somewhere on the train, leaving their daughter to spend time with her friends. They'd tried to keep a reasonable distance during her schooling but all three were grateful that they were close. Amaris was studious like her father, but had developed a playful streak each of their generation seemed to possess. The ability to change her appearance had helped on numerous pranks, but the young witch would stick to the soft ash blonde she'd inherited from her father for most of the year.

Beside them the second year Potter twins chatted and plotted between themselves. Their godfather had proudly taught the young pair mischief from an early age and, thanks to Fred, Nathan and Annalise were slowly making themselves known around the school. Nathan had inherited his mothers fiery red hair and hazel eyes but his fathers quiet disposition, while Annalise was a splitting image of her father and was often known to have a temper that was well known amongst woman with Weasley blood.

Alexander broke into a wide grin, "You know he's going to flip right?"

Elizabeth followed her brothers gaze, "Maybe not" she said, smiling as the wizard across from her made eye contact.

"Does Mum know?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"Good," he said "Mum and Uncle Harry can hold him back before he tries to kill Christian."

Elizabeth looked back at her brother and smiled, "He cant protect me forever."

Alexander scoffed, "This is Dad we're talking about."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione smiled as she stood next to Harry and Ginny on platform nine and three quarters with a bunch of wildflowers Sirius had handed to her to look after. Sirius was busy chasing Madison, the youngest Potter and she giggled and weaved around waiting parents legs. The five year old held a special place in his heart. The youngest of the Potter brood, she had captured Hermione, Sirius and Remus right from the beginning. She was growing to look exactly like her grandmother, with deep red hair, pale skin and emerald eyes, and Sirius couldn't take enough photos of the young witch.

Not for the first time Hermione found herself glad that magical folk aged slower than muggles. Sirius didn't look a day older than the day of their wedding, a few added wrinkles around his eyes and mouth were the only indication any time had passed. She grinned to herself thinking that there may be more wrinkles, maybe even a grey hair or two by the end of the day.

She had wanted to tell Sirius about the young wizard Elizabeth was bringing home for Christmas, she didn't like keeping things from her husband. But her daughter, as eloquent as her mother with her words and as sly as her father, had convinced Hermione to keep quiet. Elizabeth wanted to tell her father in person, and though she was well aware of his likely reaction, had stubbornly stuck to her decision. Hermione hoped Elizabeth had at least warned Christian.

She watched as Sirius swooped and picked up Madison in his arms and smiled as he pointed the train out to her as it appeared in the distance.

Struggling down from Sirius arms Madison came running back to her parents.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy," she chanted as she ran up in her green dress and black shoes and wrapped her arms around Harry's legs. "The Train! I found the Train!"

Harry smiled, leaned over and picked her up, "Where is it sweetheart?"

Madison spun in his arms, her green eyes bright, "There." She pointed to the train as Sirius came up and stood beside Hermione, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

Hermione handed the flowers back to Sirius and he grinned down at her. Giving Elizabeth flowers had been his tradition since first greeting the small eleven year old on her first Christmas home from Hogwarts. Her brother had emphatically told both his parents not to embarrass him in such a manner a couple of years later as they sent him off to join his sister at school.

Hermione and Sirius watched as the train pulled in. The first off the train were Remus and Tonks. They watched as Tonks turned and helped her husband as he navigated the steep, narrow steps with his wooden leg. The werewolf had grown adept quickly at having an artificial leg and only small obstacles hindered him.

The pair made their way over as Nathan and Annalise bounded off the train, taking the quick route and leaping over the stairs completely.

Sirius grinned as Remus approached. "Maybe you should try that instead." He said with a grin, pointing at the leaping twins.

Remus rolled his eyes and smiled at his friend. "I'm too old for leaping off trains, Padfoot."

"You're not old Moony, I swear I haven't seen a new grey hair in years."

Remus smiled as Amaris walked down the steps. His only child brought a smile to his face whenever he saw her and had loved teaching and watching her learn over the last few years.

Behind her Alexander hopped down and Hermione slipped past Remus and made her way towards her son, careful not to break into a run and embarrass the teenager.

"You've grown." Hermione commented as she reached him and pulled him into a hug.

"Hey Mum," Alexander greeted, "Missed you." He said, so only she could hear.

Hermione pulled back and smiled, "I missed you too," she glanced behind him at the empty door as she felt Sirius step up behind her. Before letting Alexander greet his father she quietly asked "Where's your sister?"

Alexander grinned, "Coming," he whispered, as he stepped into Sirius' arms.

Hermione moved and stood next to Sirius as Elizabeth looked out of the door, her blue eyes searching out her parents. Finding Sirius her eyes lit up and she stepped off the train quickly. Walking fast she slipped first into Sirius' arms.

"You're taller." Sirius commented as he pulled back and handed Elizabeth her flowers.

Elizabeth fought the eye roll and accepted the flowers from her dad, "Thanks Dad," she said as she stepped over to her Mother.

Sirius smiled as he watched Hermione and Elizabeth, Alexander was joking with Amaris, and Remus and Tonks were quietly talking to Harry. He watched Harry cringe then laugh as he looked over and met Sirius' eyes.

Sirius frowned, confused as he turned back to Hermione.

Elizabeth was standing, holding her mothers hand as she looked expectantly up at her father, excitement and apprehension evident in her blue eyes.

"What?" Sirius asked, curious.

"Dad, there's someone I want you to meet."

Sirius' grey eyes narrowed in suspicion as a tall dark hair wizard approached with two bags, one the Animagus recognised as Elizabeth's.

Sirius watched as the young wizard stood next to his daughter and Elizabeth let go of Hermione's hand in exchange for the strangers next to her.

Sirius stared icily at the wizard before his eyes fell back to Elizabeth.

"Dad, this is Christian."

Christian stepped forward, his hand out to greet the older wizard.

Sirius looked down at Hermione who had moved beside him and slipped her hand in his, "Be nice." She whispered.

"You knew?" he murmured back, glancing at Elizabeth who was looking nervously between her parents.

"Yes, but I'm her mother, I know these things."

Sirius grunted, ignoring his daughter and the young wizards outstretched hand as he processed the new information.

"Sirius," Hermione admonished quietly, "Don't be rude."

Sirius glanced back at Christian who was looking slightly unsure of himself.

"Mister Black," he started, as Sirius reached out and shook the outstretched hand, "It's an honour to meet you."

Sirius nodded as he released Christians hand, unsure of what to do next.

Moving his gaze to Elizabeth, Sirius was shocked at the broad smile she was sending his way.

"I'm Hermione," Hermione said to Christian, offering him a reassuring smile and stepping up and taking the young wizards hand before leading him towards the others. "I'll introduce you to the rest of the family."

Christian smiled and with one last look at Elizabeth was led away by her mother.

Elizabeth stepped up to her father.

"Dad?" she asked quietly as Sirius watched his wife lead the wizard away.

Sirius looked down at Elizabeth and she slipped her hand into his as they moved to follow Hermione.

"He's really nice." She reasoned as she watched her father's grey eyes settle on Christian.

Sirius glanced back down at her, a small smile tugging at his lips, "I'm sure he is, but _I_ only just met him."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "You didn't say a word."

"I was in shock."

"What's so shocking about a boy?"

"He's not just any boy is he? And a bit of warning would have been nice."

"I told Mum."

"Why did you tell your Mum and not me?" Sirius asked, slightly hurt.

Elizabeth smiled up at her father, "So she could hold you back."

Sirius scoffed

"And because Mum's Mum, I had to tell her"

Sirius glanced at Elizabeth then Hermione and allowed the corners of his lips to lift slightly.

"You'll give Christian a chance?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

Sirius nodded, "For you, I'd give anyone a chance."

Elizabeth grinned, and hugged Sirius's arm as they neared the group. "Thanks Dad." She paused and eyed her brother, "Besides, Alex is fawning over Miriam Zabini."

Sirius grinned as Hermione caught the tail end of the conversation and spun around to her son "What!"

Alexander blushed, then grinned, smiling at his father, "She's great dad, she's smart, has beautiful brown eyes, curly brown hair…"

"Has a temper to boot, and is a Slytherin" Amaris added, teasing her best friend, "She turned Alexander's hair purple last time he asked her out."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and cracked up laughing. The twins stepped away, pulling Madison along with them, embarrassed by how un-cool their parents looked at that moment in time.

Alexander turned to his godparents, "What?"

Harry drew a deep breath and avoided Hermione's warning glare, "You just described your mother."

Alexander's face drained of colour, before he glanced between Sirius and Christian. The young wizard Elizabeth had taken a fancy to was broad shouldered, and had light blue eyes. His hair wasn't as long as Sirius', the ebony locks falling just over his ears, but he held himself confidently and proudly and Alexander picked up on the similarity.

He began pointing out the comparison as Elizabeth released Sirius' hand, handed her flowers back to her Dad, strode forward and started hitting her brother on the arm. "Don't you dare," she ordered as he laughed and moved away from her swatting hands.

"But…" Alexander said laughing as he reached out to restrain his sister. The rest of the group watched on amused.

"He doesn't look at all like Dad, shut up."

Sirius glanced at Christian and raised an eyebrow, apart from their black hair they didn't look at all alike.

"Yeah well," Alexander started, as he managed to grasp hold of Elizabeth's hands, "Miriam doesn't look like Mum, I said her hair was curly, not bushy."

"Hey!" Hermione said shocked

Sirius chuckled and pulled Hermione close. "You're hair isn't bushy love," he promised, running a hand over her long curls.

Hermione smiled up at him, "Thank you." She made to turn to glare at her children when Sirius suddenly dipped her and claimed her lips with his own.

"EW!" came two simultaneous cries of horror.

"We're in a public place," Sirius heard Alexander exclaim, as he grinned into the kiss, "Do you mind?!"

Harry chuckled as Sirius pulled Hermione up and the group began to make its way to the floo station. Sirius and Hermione walked hand in hand behind, smiling and talking quietly as their children walked together with Christian following quietly behind the pair. He could hear them discussing appropriate parental behaviour and ground rules they were going to be setting.

Harry glanced back at the overly affectionate pair as Sirius lent down and nuzzled Hermione's neck while they walked. He turned back around and grinned. Some things never change.


End file.
